Not a God
by James T Woolford
Summary: Usagi's struggles with life and the young girl she saved from a burning house. A YUA Crossover.
1. Not a God 01: From Small Seeds

The sun shone through the windows of Setsuna's office. A   
beautiful, if not a little warm, Summer's day. Usagi was pouring   
across the design sheets as the elder Senshi finished off the last   
of the "Kingdom of Love" range of designs. The pair had worked   
furiously over the last week to complete the range before its   
looming release date.  
  
With a sigh of relief, the pair sit back and look at the   
designs.  
"Finally," Setsuna put her hands behind her head, "they're   
finished. I thought we'd never get through it all." Setsuna threw   
the pencil high into the air and caught it with precision. Usagi   
watched her and smiled.  
"Not quite, yet." She looked down at the last design, one   
that bore an... interesting resemblance to her own dress when   
transformed into Serenity. Setsuna gave her a quizzical look, then   
nodded understandingly.  
  
Usagi took a pencil and signed underneath the design....  
  
'DEDICATED TO MIKI - THE LITTLE PRINCESS GOWN'  
  
Usagi stood and stared down at the gown, her eyes misty for a   
few moments.  
"You know...." She said. "For some reason, I can almost   
vision her wearing this dress. Almost as if she had modelled it for   
us."  
  
Setsuna merely smiled.  
  
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BISHOUJO SENSHI SAILORMOON  
NOT A GOD  
by Night Rider  
  
Disclaimer - all characters pertaining to the series Bishoujo Senshi  
Sailormoon are owned by Takeuchi Naoko, Bandai and Kodansya. All  
other characters were thought up by me. Well, its true, isn't it?  
  
Chapter 1  
From Small Seeds  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
From the Personal Journal of Neo Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
It's funny.... People say we're the greatest heroes this   
world has ever seen. We never lose a fight, no matter how big or   
how small.  
  
What a joke. We may win, but that doesn't mean we REALLY win,   
in the end. As someone once said, "What price victory"? The price   
can be too high at times.  
  
Where can I begin to tell this tale I have been holding within   
me for so long? Perhaps at the beginning. It would seem logical,   
but in this matter, logic is too cool a term to use.  
  
It was a cold day in February. There was still snow on the   
ground. Late storms had made living difficult across Japan.   
Galaxia and the Starfighters had left Earth no more than a couple of   
months ago. It had been difficult to say goodbye to Seiya.... But   
I had been able to get over it. What was harder was to explain to   
Mamoru the kind of relationship we had had whilst he had been   
missing.....  
  
He'd turned out to be rather more understanding than I'd given  
him credit. And before long, things were pretty much back on track.  
Mamoru left (properly, this time) to take up his scholarship in the  
US. A little late, but better late than never.  
  
He's back there now. It'll be a couple of months before I see  
him again. I hate these moments apart from my Mamo-chan.  
  
It was on a weekend, when I had left for his apartment to  
water his roses and dust things down. A right little houseproud  
girl I had become in those weeks.  
  
For some reason, I'd found myself humming this tune.   
Something or other Densetsu, or something like that. It was a   
catchy little tune, whatever it was. I'd had my mind on other   
things when I felt a hand land on my shoulder. It gave me something   
of a fright, considering I was standing on the nearby wall, looking   
down at Naru in a fighting stance. The look on her face had to be   
seen to be believed.  
  
"Ahem.... Sorry 'bout that, Naru-chan." I giggled, hand   
behind the head, sweatdrop about the size of the Pacific running   
down my forehead. There were times when I felt being attacked by   
copious numbers of monsters had a lasting effect on me. It was   
another five minutes before I could get down, as I suddenly   
discovered, much to my chagrin, that I was afraid of heights.  
  
And as the wall was only 4 inches thick, it took all my powers   
to keep up. Well, fear maybe.....  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Umm.... Naru-chan.... You wouldn't happen to have a ladder   
on you, would you?"  
  
Naru sighed. "Usagi-chan, why don't you just jump down?   
After all, you jumped up there in the first place."  
  
Usagi shook her head. "How can I do that? From up here   
everyone looks like ants."  
  
Naru looked down at the ground and chuckled. "Usagi-chan,   
they ARE ants."  
  
"Yeah, and they look such a long way down, too."  
"Usagi-chan, if you don't jump down, I'll start pitching these   
dumplings I bought for us to eat at you and make you fall."  
  
Even before Naru had finished the sentence, she found Usagi   
was no longer on the wall. She turned aside to find her friend   
stuffing the last of the dumplings from one of the bags in her   
mouth.  
  
"Mmmf fmmfmmf mffmfm mmfmffmmmm mmfffmm." Usagi said,   
happily. Naru spent most of the day trying to decipher this.  
"Where are you going, anyway? I see you walking this way   
every day, and it can't be to visit Mamoru."  
Mmmffmfff...." Usagi swallowed a lump of dumpling roughly   
larger than the width of her throat and smiled, her face a mess.   
"Oh, I promised Mamo-chan that I'd look after his apartment and   
roses whilst he was away."  
"Quite the domesticated little wife, aren't you?" Naru   
chuckled, digging her elbow into Usagi's side. Usagi giggled   
inanely, blushing.  
"Yeah, well... uhhh..."  
"When are the pair of you going to tie the knot, eh?"  
Usagi went dewey eyed for a moment. Visions of herself and   
Mamoru in wedding attire flashing across a large field of flowers   
coming to mind. Then she turned back to Naru, shrugging.  
"Hmm... We're not quite ready for that kind of committment,   
yet. I'd prefer to be finshed with High School first." Usagi would   
have quite happily finished school right there and then. Of course,   
that would be cheating. And her parents would have something to say   
about it, as otosan still didn't trust Mamoru yet. What was the   
term he used... "cradlesnatcher"? Otosan could be a cruel little   
man when he wanted to be.  
  
Usagi asked Naru if she wanted to join her whilst she was   
cleaning the apartment, and Naru agreed. As they made their way   
along the street, they approached a woman going up the front path of   
her house, not really paying any attention to things. Suddenly,   
there was a blast, and they were bowled over as the woman landed on   
top of them, followed by the door.  
  
Usagi was the first to get to her feet. Something to be said   
for being a senshi, at least in terms of her resistance to pain and   
injury. She then pulled the door off the woman as Naru sat up,   
helping the woman into a sitting position.  
  
"Hey.... Hey, are you alright?" Usagi knelt beside the woman   
as Naru looked over at the smoking doorway of the house. The woman   
was bleeding from somewhere above her hairline, and was clutching   
her leg, grimacing in pain.  
"M... Miki..." She mumbled.  
"What?" Usagi questioned.  
"My little girl, my daughter. She's in the house.... Up in   
her bedroom...."  
A look of concern crossed both Usagi and Naru's faces. "What   
happened? What was that explosion?" Naru bit her lower lip.  
"Don't....know. I was just...visiting the shops... Only   
opened the front door when... there was this... ooohhhh.." The   
woman was now in tears as her leg began to turn blue. Naru started   
to panic. Usagi quickly grabbed the woman underneath the arms and   
dragged her back against the wall. Naru watched her, getting to her   
feet.  
"What do we do?" Naru shook with encroaching panic.  
"Call the fire service, and an ambulance. Quickly." Usagi   
turned back to the house, sweat running down her forehead as she saw   
flames licking out of the top of the doorway.  
Naru ran towards where some neighbours were standing at their   
front door, crying out for them to call the authorities. Usagi   
kneeled beside the woman.  
"Where is your daughter's bedroom? Quickly, tell me now!"   
Usagi began to wrap her hair around herself, around her neck and   
over her face.  
"Just... to the left of the front doorway... Set of stairs.   
To the right at the top of the stairs... is where....."  
"Right then..." Usagi quickly stood and steeled herself. Oh   
if only there weren't so many people around. Doing this would be so   
much easier as Sailormoon. Somebody's gotta do it. She took off,   
up the garden path like a demon pssessed, running through the   
doorway without even thinking twice about the danger she was putting   
herself into.  
  
Naru watched her go. "USAGI! DON'T!" Naru shivered and was   
about to take off after her as the neighbour gripped her by the   
shoulder, shaking her head. Naru stared at the woman for a moment,   
then returned to the side of the injured mother, holding her hand,   
the both of them staring at the house as thick black smoke began to   
billow from every opening. The sounds of appraoching sirens seemed   
to underline the fact that things around them suddenly seemed pretty   
quiet.  
  
  
It was worse than Usagi had thought. She couldn't see the   
fire for the amount of smoke. Even with her long ponytails wrapped   
around her nose and mouth, it was chokingly thick, and her eyes   
immediately started to water. The stairs were to the left, so she   
felt along the wall for the rail. It was getting hotter the further   
she moved in.  
  
Eventually, she found the rail, descending towards her level.   
She climbed over the side of the rail, not even bothering to find   
the foot of the stairs, and crawled her way up. The fire had not,   
obviously, reached this part of the house yet, because the heat was   
not increasing as she reached the top. She then panicked. Left or   
right? Was it left or right here? No, think.... To the right.   
Usagi crawled along the floor, trying to stay below the smoke.   
Eventually she reached what appeared to be the door to the bedroom.   
Within, she could hear the girl, coughing. Usagi was partly   
relieved that the girl was, thus far, alright. Suddenly, there was   
a thump on the floor and all went silent in the room.  
  
Usagi panicked and scrabbled for the door handle, an icy   
sensation running through her chest. The door swumg open to reveal   
the girl, lying face-forward, on the floor of the room after having   
scrabbled her way, weakly, from the bed. The girl was moving   
slightly, trying to get up herself. For some reason, the girl   
seemed unable to muster the energy to do so. Usagi got to her feet,   
the smoke in the bedroom nowhere as thick as it had been in the   
hallway. She picked up the girl and moved her into a seated   
position, checking that she was alright.  
  
The girl stared at her with bleary, frightened eyes. "Whats   
happening? Who are you? Where's Mama?"  
Usagi gritted her teeth and tried to smile. "Your Mamas   
alright. She's waiting outside for you."  
"Outside?' The girl looked confused. "You mean I have to go   
outside?" The suggestion seemed to excite the girl somewhat.  
"Of course. I'll get you out of here, just stick with me and   
don't worry." Usagi wondered why someone would be so excited about   
leaving a house. She put it out of her mind as she grabbed the   
blanket from the top of the bed and began to wrap it around the   
little girl.  
"Your name's Miki, right?"  
"Hai.... Takimi Miki..."  
"Well, Miki-chan, just hang onto me, and don't be scared.   
I'll protect you."  
"Hai, oneechan." The girl smiled at Usagi, and she returned   
the expression, picking up the girl and feeling her small hands   
gripping her shoulders weakly. Usagi turned and looked for the   
doorway, disappearing into the smoke haze. Usagi steeled herself   
again and bent slightly double, dashing into the mist.  
  
The house was now well alight. She could hear the flames   
crackling along the ceiling above her. There were loud crashing   
noises all around as she felt her way down the stairs, able to see   
no more than the next step down. The smoke was now hellishly thick,   
and she felt her chest heaving for fresh air. Before she knew what   
was happening, she had reached the foot of the stairs. Slowly, she   
managed to turn around and make her way to where she thought the   
doorway might be.  
  
In a matter of a millesecond, she found herself standing face   
to face on the verandah with two firemen, kitted up with oxygen   
equipment. The expression on her face matched the ones on theirs.   
Before anything was said, one took her by the arm and guided her, as   
quickly as possible, away from the smoking doorway as hoses began to   
rain down upon the blazing residence.  
  
Usagi was guided to the other side of the street, where   
ambulance officers were attending to Miki's mother. Usagi unwrapped   
Miki as she arrived, the girl landing in her mother's arms before   
the woman was even able to call out her name.  
  
Usagi collapsed against the wall as the woman hugged her   
daughter, the girl in tears of relief. Before she knew what was   
happening, a mask was placed on her face. The taste of pure, sweet   
air was one of the most unbelievably beautiful sensations she had   
ever experienced in her life. That was shortly before Naru   
attempted to crush the oxygen out of her with an enormous bear hug.  
  
"Usagi no BAKA!" Naru said, tears filling her eyes. Usagi   
smiled back blearily, still not able to see very much, her eyes   
burning red with the after-effects of the smoke.  
"Heh. And everyone said I was the cry-baby." Usagi turned   
aside. "How's Miki." She squinted and watched as the mother and   
child hugged each other. Naru smiled.  
"I think they'll be fine."  
  
Miki sat up in her mother's arms and looked over at Usagi, the   
mother turning and smiling. "Say thankyou to oneechan, Miki..."  
  
"Arigato, oneechan." Miki seemed on the edge of collapse,   
being supported only by her mother. For some reason, Usagi seemed   
to feel pretty much the same way. Then things went very dark.  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
From the Personal Journal of Neo Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
  
I wish I could say that I remember more of what followed. But   
I don't. All I know is from what Naru has told me. After passing   
out, I was placed on a stretcher and put into an ambulance.   
Apparently, both Miki and her mother had to travel with me to the   
hospital. Miki refused to go unless I was with her. As well as   
Naru, who had taken to holding onto my left arm like a limpet.   
Apparently they had to prise her off me when we got to the hospital.  
  
It is a fortunate thing that Ami's mother works at that   
hospital. When she recognised both Naru and myself, she took charge   
of things and had my parents contacted within minutes. Naru was   
taken away to lie down in her office.  
  
I had had enough tears running out of my eyes to soak the   
stretcher. Well, I have had practice over the years. They had to   
clean my eyes out with special eyedrops whilst I was unconcious. It   
was about the most damage there was to my body. Still, it was close   
to five hours before I came round.  
  
Its strange to think back to that moment, now. The first   
thing that crossed my mind was that I'd forgotten to water Mamoru's   
roses, and wondered if he'd be mad that I'd let them die. Not that   
one day missed would do much damage, but its the kind of thought   
that runs through one's mind when one has just come round from   
stress-induced sleep.  
  
My mother was sitting in the room, asleep on a chair. Her   
face was covered in dried tears. It was then that I realised that I   
wasn't home. And at that moment I wondered how much trouble I was   
in. All things considered, the only times my mother ever cried were   
in those moments of despair when she thought her only daughter would   
never achieve anything in life. Oh if only I could tell her what I   
was destined to achieve. It'd put her mind at rest. Not that she'd   
believe me. Initially, anyway.  
  
It was Ami's mother who discovered that I'd come round, whilst   
checking up on things. Before long I was being strangled with my   
mother's arms wrapped round my neck, and my father standing in the   
corner bawling his eyes out. Quite how my mother thought I was an   
idiot whilst simultaneously telling me how proud she was of me was   
something my brain took another few days to properly decipher.  
  
Before long, the whole gang was in there, assaulting me one by   
one. At one stage, I had four inner senshi all piled on the sides   
of my bed, doing a better job than the fire at killing me. Rei had   
to be controlled after grabbing me by the collar and screaming the   
most foul abuse one could hope to hear from her mouth. And all this   
with more tears flying out the corners of her eyes than I had ever   
achieved. Ami and Minako were more reserved with their relief that   
I was still alive, whilst Makoto actually looked quite angry with me   
for a while. She came back some time after everyone else had left   
and expressed her relief then. Makoto has a good heart, but she   
never found it easy to express things verbally. Probably why she   
always found herself getting into fights before she met us.  
  
Naru was the last to see me that afternoon, having recovered,  
somewhat, from the trauma of the experience. It was hard to tell,  
exactly, how she felt at that moment, because she was as totally   
washed out as I felt. Fortunately, her mother had been summoned to  
collect her from the hospital, so I knew she'd get home, safely. In  
the state she was, making her own way back was certainly not on the  
cards.  
  
  
That night, Haruka and Michiru made a belated appearance,   
virtually to see how things were coming along. I asked them where   
Hotaru and Setsuna had been, but they said they hadn't seen them   
when they'd heard what had happened. It was only when Hotaru came   
to visit me afterwards that I realised that both she and Professor   
Tomoe had been in the hospital due to the fact that she had had an   
attack of anemia earlier that day. Hotaru was never a healthy girl.   
I often wonder how much being Sailorsaturn actually had to do with   
the state of her health.  
  
But I digress. It was Haruka and Michiru who brought Miki   
into my room. I was surprised to see Miki in a wheelchair, and   
asked why. Apparently, Miki had always been an unhealthy child,   
herself. Well, for the past couple of years anyway. There were   
reasons for this, but nobody knew it at the time.  
  
Haruka and Michiru left the pair of us alone in the room for a   
while, and we began to talk about things, getting to know each   
other. Miki was about seven years old, and I was surprised to find   
that she shared the same birthday as mine. Despite the fact that   
she seemed tired, Miki seemed to be drawing on some reserve....  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Oneechan..." Miki was now sitting on the bed, leaning back   
against Usagi, whose eyes were partially covered with a small white   
cloth. Usagi's eyes were still sore and sensitive to the light.   
Usagi lifted the cloth slightly and looked down on Miki, who was   
looking up at her with a smile.  
  
"What is it? Is there something on my face?"  
"No, silly." Miki giggled. "Its your hair."  
"My hair?' Usagi grabbed one of her now tatty looking   
ponytails and sniffed it. She pulled her face away in disgust and   
dropped it back where it fell naturally. "Indeed, a most   
unappealing smell."  
"No no no, not that. It's the way you've got it done up."   
Miki reached up and touched the point where the ponytails were tied   
up at the top of her head.  
"What about it? Don't you like it?"  
"No, they're fine. Its just.... You know, this sounds kinda   
silly...."  
Miki sat back again, leaning against Usagi, who put her chin   
on top of Miki's head, holding her shoulder. "You can tell me. I   
won't laugh."  
"Really?"  
"Of course. I'm big, tough Usagi-chan. I can take it.   
After all, I can walk into burning houses without fear." More   
likely out of stupidity, Usagi thought. She immediately put that   
thought out of her mind when she realised that, if she'd been smart   
enough to stand and ogle at the burning house like everyone else,   
Miki would probably be dead.  
  
"Well, its just that, when you lifted me up, off the floor in   
my room after I fell of my bed...."  
"Hmm?"  
"You.... I thought you were Sailormoon...."  
Usagi's jaw hit the bedsheets. "Really? Do I look that much   
like her?"  
"Yeah. Ever since I got sick, I've been a fan of Sailormoon."  
Usagi smiled at her, feeling inwardly proud, even though she   
knew she shouldn't be. "How come?"  
"Well, I've always wanted to be like her. If I ever get well,   
I want to go around and fight monsters and villains too. It helps   
me to feel better whilst I'm stuck in bed." Miki looked a little   
glum, then smiled back up at Usagi. "In a funny way, I feel happy   
the house burnt down."  
Usagi stared at her, not knowing what to say. "Wh... why?"  
"This is the first time in a year and a half I've been out of   
it. If what Mummy tells me is true, it'll be a while before we can   
move back in."  
Usagi smirked. "Perhaps your dream for adventures came a   
little too true, eh?" Miki simply shrugged.  
"At least I got to meet a hero, even if it isn't Sailormoon."  
Usagi felt herself choking back a sob as she hugged Miki.   
"I'm glad to to meet you too, Miki. I hope we can stay friends."   
When Usagi let Miki go, the younger girl looked up at her face,   
smiling, nodding simply.  
"Mama is going to have to stay in here for a while. So I   
won't be far away from you. Will you be leaving soon?"  
"Hmmm, not too soon, I hope."  
"Alright then. Can I see you tomorrow?"  
"Sure. We're friends, right." Usagi put out her little   
finger, and the girl put hers around it.  
"Yep, friends forever." Miki smiled.  
  
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From the Personal Journal of Neo Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
  
It was a couple of days before I was cleared to leave the   
hospital. My eyes were still sore, but at least most of the garbage   
that had worked its way into them through the smoke had cleared out.   
It was only as I was being let out of the hospital that I'd decided   
to visit Miki to tell her that I was being released. Miki was   
sleeping in a small bed in her mother's room. Miki's mother, Akiko,   
had had her leg plastered, and her head bandaged. From the looks of   
things, she was going to be in here for quite a long time.  
  
  
I found out that Miki was to be fostered out to one of her   
relatives, somewhere outside of Tokyo, until her mother had fully   
recovered. This would have meant long hours of travel if she'd   
wished to visit her. In Miki's condition, this was next to   
impossible. It was then that I hit upon my cunningly devised and   
inspired plan.... Take Miki in myself. Now all I had to do was   
convince otosan and okasan that it was a good idea.  
  
I was surprised by their enthusiasm for the idea. Little did   
I know they felt it would be a good test in responsibility for me.   
I surely couldn't have been that bad at the time? Now was I? Was   
I?  
  
Whatever the case, I didn't quite know what I was getting   
myself into.  
  
  
END OF PART 1  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
Be Gentle - First Fanfic ^_^  
  
Night Rider ikari@wantree.net.au  
13th Apr 1998 


	2. Not a God 02: Friendships Shall Grow

Version 1.0  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
From the Personal Journal of Neo Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
  
It was a couple of days before I was cleared to leave the   
hospital. My eyes were still sore, but at least most of the garbage   
that had worked its way into them through the smoke had been cleared   
out. It was only as I was being let out of the hospital that I'd   
decided to visit Miki to tell her that I was being released. Miki   
was sleeping in a small bed in her mother's room. Miki's mother,   
Akiko, had had her leg plastered, and her head bandaged. From the   
looks of things, she was going to be in here for quite a long time.  
  
She told me that Miki was to be fostered out to one of her   
relatives, somewhere outside of Tokyo, until she had fully   
recovered. This would have meant long hours of travel if she'd   
wished to visit her. In Miki's condition, this was next to   
impossible. It was then that I hit upon my cunningly devised and   
inspired plan.... Take Miki in myself. Now all I had to do was   
convince otosan and okasan that it was a good idea.  
  
I was surprised by their enthusiasm for the idea. Little did   
I know they felt it would be a good test in responsibility for me.   
I surely couldn't have been that bad at the time? Now was I? Was   
I?  
  
Whatever the case, I didn't quite know what I was getting   
myself into....  
  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
BISHOUJO SENSHI SAILORMOON  
NOT A GOD  
by Night Rider (Assistance by DDFA)  
  
Disclaimer - all characters pertaining to the series Bishoujo Senshi  
Sailormoon are owned by Takeuchi Naoko, Bandai and Kodansya. All  
other characters were thought up by me. Well, its true, isn't it?  
  
Chapter 2  
Friendships Shall Grow  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
On the way home from the hospital, Okaasan told me that Mamoru   
had rung several times. She said the first time he'd seemed rather   
agitated, like he knew something was wrong. This was before the   
hospital rang to inform them I had been admitted, when he rang back   
later Okaasan told him what had happend to me.   
  
He was ready to get the first flight back here until Mama told   
him that I was alright, and that I would be home in a couple of   
days.... That he was not to worry and to keep up with his studies   
because it would upset me, and I would most likely blame myself for   
his failiure to complete them.   
  
She told him about Miki and how I had saved her, and this made   
him very proud of me (the great klutz finally comes good... teehee).   
After this, Mamoru had rung several times each day I was in   
hospital, checking up on my condition. He can get a little   
overprotective, sometimes, moreso than Papa. But it's one of the   
things I love about him.  
  
  
Mama had prepared a huge "Welcome Home" dinner for me, even   
though I wasn't hugely hungry. My appetite seemed to have dropped   
after the events with the fire. The hospital food definitely didn't  
help, but I guess I was suffering a kind of post-traumatic stress at  
the time. I pretty much got over this, quickly.... If you've lived  
the kind of life I've had, (or lives, depending on your point of   
view) then you learn how to adjust to stressful situations.  
  
Besides, my Mama's cooking is the best cure for a lack of   
appetite that anyone could ever hope for.  
  
  
After dinner, Mama ordered Papa and Shingo to do the dishes.   
Shingo complained extensively about this, but a quick shot from her  
eyes settled that little dispute. (I'm going to have to learn that  
technique to use on Chibiusa when the time comes).  
  
Mama took me aside, into the loungeroom, and sat me down on   
the sofa. At first, I thought I was going to get some stern   
lecture, but in truth, all she wanted to talk about were the   
responsibilities I would have to face whilst I was looking after   
Miki.  
  
Miki can't walk, at least, not in her current state of health,  
so if I intended to take her anywhere, it would be up to me to get   
her around. Secondly, because of her state of health, no activity  
that would tax her limited strength should be attempted. Thirdly,  
although Mama said she'd deal with much of this, her diet would be   
extremely limited, due to allergic reactions.  
  
I asked her just what foods she could have and she told me   
that all of the information would be supplied, later.  
  
At the time, I didn't realise just how difficult it would be  
for Miki, watching all these people on tv and such, eating these  
strange and exotic foods and drinks and other various concoctions,  
and not even being able to touch a single one of them. Nor did I  
think about how it would affect the way I ate.  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Usagi had slept with an eyecover during the night. The light  
still caused her some discomfort, even if it was dim streetlight.   
In fact, in the darkness the division between the shadows and the  
streetlight was of such contrast that it hurt more to look at it.  
  
So she couldn't tell when it was morning. She was lying   
there, waiting for the alarm to go off, only it didn't. By the  
time she had bothered to remove the cover, sunlight was streaming  
through the window. She put an arm over her eyes and turned to  
the clock.  
  
Someone had switched the alarm off.  
  
Sighing, Usagi put her head back down on the pillow.  
  
"And it is about time you bothered to rise...." Usagi turned  
towards the soft voice to see Luna curled up next to the pillow, her  
eyes nothing more than small slits.  
  
"You can talk." Usagi whispered. "Who turned the alarm off?"  
  
"Your mother did." Luna sniffed. "If it was up to me, I'd   
keep you in the rhythm of your daily routine. It'd do you a hell of  
a lot better than sleeping in."  
  
"Yes, I'm sure you would do that, MOTHER." Usagi screwed up   
her nose at Luna's miffed expression.  
  
"Haven't you got some things to do today?" Luna huffed.  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"For a start, there is the paperwork you have to do. And then  
you have to meet with Miki's aunt."  
  
"Miki's aunt?" Usagi scratched her head. "First I've heard   
of this."  
  
"What, you mean your mother didn't tell you?" Luna clicked   
her tongue. "I'm beginning to think some of your forgetfulness is  
beginning to rub off on her...."  
  
"Thanks a million, Luna. You're all heart."  
  
"That's what they say." Luna smiled and turned her head away,  
leaning it down on her paws.  
  
"What's the saying, Luna? People bare an amazing resemblance   
to their pets?"  
  
Usagi let it go there when she heard the most threatening   
growl to ever emanate from a cat's lungs.  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Usagi put on her wraparound shades after getting dressed and  
felt her way down the stairs. It seemed as if her vision was   
getting worse, rather than better. Of course, the doctor had said  
that this would be possible, but would pass in time.  
  
She slowly made her way through into the dining room, where   
her mother was finishing cleaning up after breakfast. Usagi almost  
panicked at the thought that she'd missed it....  
  
"Ah, you're finally awake." Her mother smiled at her.  
  
"Fooooooood....." Usagi said, arms outstretched, hands   
grasping in midair. Her mother blinked in surprise.  
  
"Uh, yes, there is some left over." Usagi took her mother by  
the arm.  
  
"Thankyou.... Oh thankyou, my saviour." Usagi burst out   
laughing at the expression on her mother's face.  
  
  
Her mother placed some toast and tea on the table, and Usagi   
dug in. The food disappeared before Ikuko's eyes at a speed not   
thought possible to science. Usagi definitely had her appetite   
back.  
  
After drinking copious amounts of water to unblock her throat  
from the DRY toast, Usagi turned to her mother, who was washing the   
dishes.  
  
"What's on the agenda for today, Mama?"  
  
Ikuko glanced back at her daughter. "Oh, ummm.... We have to  
sign the papers for the child services department, to be recognised   
as her legal guardians, then meet with her Doctor."  
  
"Is there anything else?"  
  
Ikuko paused for a few moments, thinking. "Uh, I can't seem   
to think.... Wait. Of course, Miki's aunt!"  
  
"Her aunt?"  
  
"Yes. We have to meet with her, today. She was the one who   
was going to take Miki in before your suggestion."  
  
Usagi scratched her head. "Hmm.... I haven't really thought  
about Miki's other relatives, before."  
  
"Apparently Miki rarely sees them. Neither her mother nor her  
aunt would say why." Ikuko turned back to the dishes as Usagi   
pondered this information. She wondered if there could be any   
friction within Miki's family.  
  
It was only then that she realised what it was she was doing.  
She had put her nose into the business of another family.... One   
that she'd never had any contact with, before. By deciding to look  
after Miki, she may have upset the aunt. However, Miki's mother had  
not been averse to the idea... Usagi sighed. Life could be   
complex, sometimes.  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
From the Personal Journal of Neo Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
  
The rest of the morning had passed without incident. Mama   
dressed to go out, and I put on a jacket as the weather had turned  
a little cool.  
  
We caught a taxi to the hospital and met with Miki's doctor, a  
man named Mizaki. he helped to explain the depth of Miki's   
condition.  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"It has been somewhat difficult to diagnose the full extent of  
Miki's problems, as some conditions have been masked by others,   
especially when it has come to her allergic disorders. She has so   
many, it was almost, at one stage, classed as a total allergy   
syndrome case."  
  
Doctor Mizaki stood from the seat behind his desk and stepped   
over to the records cabinet. Rifling through the second drawer, he  
pulled out a thick folder and turned back to Usagi and her mother.   
Usagi was biting on her knuckles.  
  
"Just how bad is she?" Her mother pondered.  
  
"There have been times where.... Well, it was a pretty close  
run thing.... I won't beat around the bush with you, Tsukino-san.  
Miki has, on three occasions, been clinically dead. I was one of   
the operating surgeons during one of those occasions."  
  
"What happened?" Usagi felt tears come to her eyes. "How did  
she get this way?"  
  
"I'm not certain, but her health had taken a dive after she   
had been brought in as an emergency patient, some three years ago.   
I'm not too sure on the details, but she seemed to have been injured  
in some kind of accident. She'd had abrasions and lacerations,   
amongst other things. She seemed to get better, after she'd healed  
up.... However.... About a year or so later, these allergies and  
illnesses started."  
  
"Are you saying there is some kind of connection between the  
two?" Usagi's mother asked coolly as she rested a hand on Usagi's   
arm.  
  
"Nobody can ever be certain of how the body reacts to trauma.  
I've seen a lot of stranger things happen in my surgical and medical  
career. And, lets face it, over the last three years, with all   
these monster attacks and things, I've seen injuries that would  
make your eyes boggle."  
  
"Was Miki a victim of one of these monster attacks?" Usagi  
asked, suddenly. Both Doctor Mizaki and her mother looked at her.  
The Doctor blinked a couple of times and shrugged.  
  
"It was never explained, as I think I've said, what happened  
to her that first time...."  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
From the Personal Journal of Neo Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
  
I had some suspicions from that moment, about Miki's state of  
health, and its principle cause. When Doctor Mizaki mentioned the  
attacks by the various enemies we had been fighting over these past  
few years, and the injuries suffered by innocent bystanders, I   
couldn't help but put two and two together.  
  
It should have been obvious to me, at the time. But I prayed  
that I was wrong. And, indeed, when I had the opportunity to visit  
Miki on our way out of the hospital, she seemed MORE than well. In  
fact, she was positively glowing, jumping around on her bed as if it  
had all been a bad dream.  
  
She was mightily happy to see me, throwing herself into my  
arms as soon as I eneterd her mother's room. We talked together for  
a while, as our respective mothers did the same. Of course,   
unbeknownst to me, Miki's mother was warning my Mama about her   
sister in law.... Miki's aunt.  
  
  
My earlier thoughts, about there being some problems within  
miki's family turned out to be right, when I met Miki's aunt face to  
face....  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
The cafeteria was rather deserted at this time of the day,  
just as the lunchtime rush had come to an end. Miki's aunt, a Mrs  
Tanaka Yurika, was a nervous and frail woman, with long black hair  
and sharp, piercing eyes. They certainly pierced through Usagi as  
soon as she stepped through the door.  
  
Usagi sized the woman up. She was holding a lit cigarette,   
one of many she had smoked within the cafe, by the number of used  
buts in the ashtray. She looked Usagi up and down, as if she was   
trying to read into her clothes and appearance, comparing her to   
whatever little classification she had for people in her head, or  
some preconceived notion of the kind of person she expected Usagi  
to be.  
  
Usagi tried to smile at her, and received nothing in return.  
The woman merely stamped out the cigarette in the ashtray, and   
beckoned both Usagi and her mother to her table.  
  
"So...." She said, simply, as they stood alongside her.   
"This is our famous heroine, the great Tsukino Usagi...."  
  
Usagi decided she didn't like her tone. She did her best to  
control her feelings, however. Her mother, on the other hand, was  
all smiles.  
  
"Haiii.... My name is Tsukino Ikuko." She held out her hand  
to Yurika. "how very nice to meet you, Tanaka-san."  
  
Yurika took her hand without standing up, but was surprised by  
Ikuko's forthrightness. Impressed also, maybe. After shaking her  
hand, Yurika gestured to the seat opposite. Usagi and her mother   
sat down.  
  
"Well...." She said without fanfare. "I suppose you'd like   
to know why I've asked to meet with you, eh?" She smiled and pulled  
another cigarette from the packet, sitting next to her hand. Ikuko  
nodded, unpeturbed by Yurika's unthinking behaviour. "Hmm...."   
Yurika looked at Ikuko's inscrutible face, then over to Usagi, who   
seemed to cringe within her gaze. Yurika shrugged and lit the   
cigarette. After a couple of puffs, she blew smoke into the air and  
sniffed. "I suppose Mizaki has told you what her condition is?"  
  
"Hai." Ikuko nodded.  
  
"But he hasn't told you the cause of it all, has he?"  
  
"Not that he would know." Usagi stared out through the   
window, nearby, tapping a finger. She had already come to the   
conclusion that she did not like this woman very much. She was   
disappointed that someone like this could even be vaguely related to  
Miki or her mother.  
  
"Indeed..." Yurika chuckled. "I don't think he would even   
believe the truth, if it were to be told to him in full."  
  
"And that truth is...?" Ikuko crossed her hands in front of   
her, waiting for Yurika to explain. Yurika studied Ikuko a moment  
and shook her head, taking another drag from the cigarette.  
  
"Three years ago, the day care centre to which Miki would go  
whilst her mother was at work was attacked by oni."  
  
"A monster?" Usagi suddenly became very interested. Yurika  
half-smiled.  
  
"Well, whatever you want to call it. It attacked the day care  
centre and injured several of the children there, including Miki."  
Yurika paused. "The oni was eventually destroyed, later on, by the  
Sailorsenshi, howeverm it came too late for the kids."  
  
Usagi clenched her fists, looking down at the table. She felt  
an anger within her she didn't know existed. But it was a helpless  
anger. It was too late, now, to express her feelings, about being   
too late in this case.  
  
Yurika watched Usagi, carefully. "You seem upset...."  
  
"Eh?" Usagi blinked, looking up at Yurika. "Uh, yeah.... I  
do feel a little upset."  
  
"Do you feel an attachment to Miki already?"  
  
"Do I....?" Usagi sighed. "If I didn't feel an attachment,  
I wouldn't have...." Usagi felt her mother put a hand on her   
shoulder, and she went silent. Yurika shrugged.  
  
"Yes, well.... Miki had suffered the worst injuries of all   
the children. She was the first to be attacked, you see. She was  
only saved when one of the carers at the centre threw themselves at  
the oni, beating it away.... getting severely injured, themselves,  
in the process." Yurika chuckled inappropriately. "In a strange  
kind of way, maybe they did the wrong thing."  
  
"Do you really believe that, Tanaka-san?" Ikuko gave Yurika  
a harsh stare. Yurika smiled and shrugged.  
  
"No, not really. She's my niece. If I had been there, I   
would have done the same. Blood runs thicker than water." She  
looked at Usagi when she said this.  
  
Ikuko ignored the remark. "So, now that we know this, what  
relevance does this have to the way Miki is today?"  
  
"Strange.... I thought it would have been clear. The evil  
powers of the oni infected Miki.... This is the reason why she is  
always sick." The smile faded from Yurika's face. "You know, she's  
dying."  
  
Usagi felt the blood drain from her face. "No..." She said,  
simply. Yurika looked down at the cigarette, as if unable to face  
them whilst saying this.  
  
"They keep working on her.... Trying to find the source of  
her problems.... trying to find a cure. But with each step forward,  
things go two back.... She wasn't all that bad, at first. Of   
course, by the time you saved her from the fire.... Well, you   
already know." She lifted her head. "So, are you NOW so willing  
to look after her?"  
  
"YES!" Usagi said, forcefully, surprising both Yurika and her  
mother. "Miki was.... Miki was.... She was jumping around, today.  
She was more alive than I'd ever seen her before."  
  
"She was jumping around?" Yurika looked puzzled.  
  
"Yes, when we went to visit her and her mother." Ikuko   
continued. "She appeared quite energetic to me."  
  
Yurika stared into space for several moments as Usagi wiped  
tears from her sore eyes, placing her shades on the table.  
  
"So strange...." Yurika said, absently. "Whenever I've gone  
to see her, she just seemed to be fading away...." Her voice   
emulated her words. She looked at Usagi, and was shocked when she  
saw the girl's eyes. Their bloodshot redness and the puffiness   
around them was dramatic.  
  
"You.... You put your own life in danger for her...." Yurika  
said softly. Usagi nodded.  
  
"I would do it again, for Miki."  
  
Yurika pondered this, then smiled. "Maybe she is right, after  
all, to give Miki over to you." Yurika stamped out her cigarette   
and stood. "Very well, then. I give in. You can have her, Ms   
Tsukino, on one proviso.... If anything happens to her whilst she   
is in your care, I'll be coming for her." And with that, Yurika  
nodded at them both, and started to leave. At first, Usagi wanted  
to stop her.... To talk to her.... But her mother held her arm   
firmly and let Yurika walk from the cafeteria.  
  
"Why did you let her go like that?" Usagi looked at her   
mother as she placed her shades back on.  
  
"There wasn't any point arguing the issue any further with  
her. Miki's mother warned me about what she is like. Once she   
gives in like that, that's it. End of argument. She's always been  
that way." Ikuko looked up as the waitress stepped over to their  
table with a tray of tea and cake. "Looks like a peace offering  
to me, courtesy of our dear Tanaka-san. What do you think, Usagi?"  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
From the Personal Journal of Neo Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
  
The waitress was bringing out chocolate cake. That looked   
like a good "peace offering" to me.  
  
  
END OF PART 2  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Hope this explains some things to people. ^_^ (JTW)  
  
Night Rider ikari@wantree.net.au 


	3. Not a God 03: Arguments of Responsibilit...

Version 1.0  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"You.... You put your own life in danger for her...." Yurika  
said softly. Usagi nodded.  
  
"I would do it again, for Miki."  
  
Yurika pondered this, then smiled. "Maybe she is right, after  
all, to give Miki over to you." Yurika stamped out her cigarette   
and stood. "Very well, then. I give in. You can have her, Ms   
Tsukino, on one proviso.... If anything happens to her whilst she   
is in your care, I'll be coming for her." And with that, Yurika  
nodded at them both, and started to leave. At first, Usagi wanted  
to stop her.... To talk to her.... But her mother held her arm   
firmly and let Yurika walk from the cafeteria.  
  
"Why did you let her go like that?" Usagi looked at her   
mother as she placed her shades back on.  
  
"There wasn't any point arguing the issue any further with  
her. Miki's mother warned me about what she is like. Once she   
gives in like that, that's it. End of argument. She's always been  
that way." Ikuko looked up as the waitress stepped over to their  
table with a tray of tea and cake. "Looks like a peace offering  
to me, courtesy of our dear Tanaka-san. What do you think, Usagi?"  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
From the Personal Journal of Neo Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
  
The waitress was bringing out chocolate cake. That looked   
like a good "peace offering" to me.  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
BISHOUJO SENSHI SAILORMOON  
NOT A GOD  
by nIGHT rIDER (Assistance by DDFA)  
  
Disclaimer - all characters pertaining to the series Bishoujo Senshi  
Sailormoon are owned by Takeuchi Naoko, Bandai and Kodansya. All  
other characters were thought up by me. Well, its true, isn't it?  
  
Chapter 3  
Arguments of Responsibility  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
From the Personal Journal of Neo Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
  
After fairly stuffing myself silly with something that I   
couldn't see very well, but what I could see was delicious (not that   
I bothered much about the appearance after tasting it), our next   
stop on the whirlwind tour of the city was the child welfare agency.  
  
This I was not looking forward to, for various reasons. One   
included the fact that bureaucracy and I never had the most   
comforatble of relationships. On top of that, I'd heard quite a few  
stories, thanks going to Mako-chan, about the kind of people who  
worked there.  
  
Mama, of course, didn't appear nervous at all as we entered   
the front doors of the monolithic office building that was the   
national Child Welfare Agency's head office. Of course, Mama would  
never have had the opportunity of facing the likes of this, so one  
can say that, in her case, ignorance was bliss.  
  
Of course, I'm putting Mama down here.... Something I really  
shouldn't do, considering the way she handled these events. Age   
does tend to mellow one, as well as strengthen. As does experience.  
Now if I really and truly believed that, I would have had more   
confidence than Mama could poke a stick at, considering the number  
of years one had amassed throughout my two lives (not counting the  
ones in between).  
  
----o  
  
There was a soft beeping sound within the waiting room.   
Seated next to the stark, wooden office door of the woman they were   
here to see, Ikuko stared at her daughter, who did her best to stare   
back, as if surprised by the sound.  
  
"Can you hear something, Usagi-chan?" Ikuko wondered, putting  
a finger to her mouth and staring at the ceiling.  
  
----o  
  
From the Personal Journal of Neo Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
  
There really are times when I wonder how much Mama knows about   
my life as Sailormoon/Serenity. She gives it away, on occasions.  
  
----o  
  
Usagi sweatdropped as Ikuko looked aside at her,   
inquisitively. Usagi ummed and ahhed for a few moments, then stood  
up from her chair, suddenly.  
  
"Usagi-chan?" Ikuko frowned.  
  
"I... uhhh... I gotta use the bathroom. I'll be back in a   
couple of a few moments...." Usagi stuttered, then ran from the   
room. Ikuko took a breath and smiled, shaking her head.  
  
----o  
  
Usagi entered the ladies room, just as a woman dried her hands  
on a handtowel. The beeping continued, emanating from the pocket of  
her overcoat. The woman looked at her for a second, questioningly,   
then stepped past her and out through the door.  
  
As it closed behind her, Usagi let out a sigh of relief and   
began to check all the cubicles, in case there was someone else in   
there.  
  
  
Eventually, she stood up to the washbasins and leant against   
the bench. After taking a few breaths, she took the communicator   
from her pocket and answered the call.  
  
"Usagi here."  
  
"Usagi-chan.... It's Ami-chan..." Ami's face appeared on the  
small screen of the communicator, a slightly concerned expression on  
her face.  
  
"Ami-chan? What's up? Let out of school early, today?"  
  
"Baka... School finished twenty minutes ago." Ami closed her  
eyes, shaking her head. "Besides, we don't use the communicators   
for idle chat."  
  
"Right." Usagi nodded. "Is something up?"  
  
"Well, a few minutes ago there was a report on the tv in the  
resource centre at school. I noticed it whilst I was looking up   
something for my science project tomorrow. Apparently there has   
been a monster sighting in town..."  
  
Usagi put a hand to her mouth. "You're sure?"  
  
"Yeah, it's on all the stations.... From the description of  
the creature, it bears all the appearance of a Youma...."  
  
"A YOUMA?" Usagi checked herself.... She shouldn't raise her  
voice in here. "How on earth could there still be a Youma running   
about? I thought that, with the change of the timelines and the   
destruction of Beryl and Metallia, that they would have also   
perished."  
  
"Or ceased to exist. In fact, with the changing of the   
timelines, it should have been possible that they were never spawned  
in the first place. However, we might have miscalculated. It is  
possible that the only things that were truly changed were the lives  
of those, here on Earth. And even then, only a surface change,   
after all, we seemed to pick up on our powers pretty damn quickly,   
as well as our memories of, that time."  
  
  
"So.... What should we do about it? Go out and hunt it   
down?"  
  
"Mako-chan has already raced off after it.... I thought I   
should contact the rest of you before I try and stop the baka, lest  
she cause herself a mischief."  
  
Usagi clenched her fist. "Why does she always go off her twig  
when these kind of things happen." Sighing, Usagi softened her   
expression. "So what should I do?"  
  
"In your current state, what can you do? Besides, aren't you   
already occupied?" Usagi blinked at Ami's question, then giggled  
inanely.  
  
"Ah, yeah... The child welfare interview. Sorry, I got a bit  
carried away there."  
  
"Remember, this is for Miki. Just let us handle the Youma.   
If we need help, we can still call you."  
  
"Roger." Usagi put two fingers up to her temple in a salute   
of sorts. Ami took a breath.  
  
"See you later tonight."  
  
"Yeah, seeyas."  
  
----o  
  
From the Personal Journal of Neo Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
  
The others never expected to find the kind of Youma they were  
to excounter.... I guess we've spent so long considering these   
kinds of beings to be our enemy that we have automatically come to  
expect their appearances to be malevolent.  
  
This one was different. As Mama and I were going through the  
horrors of the interview with the woman from child welfare, Mako-  
chan and Ami-chan came face to face with the strange woman in an   
alleyway that backed onto a small auto wreckers yard.  
  
----o  
  
Makoto watched from the top of the building, trying to relax  
herself. Even as Sailorjupiter, moments like these always left a  
sickened sense of nervous expectation. Her stomach would cramp up  
and her throat would constrict. Her breathing became shallow and  
the only thoughts that passed through her mind were of her late   
parents. And that made her angry.  
  
The creature... The woman... Whatever she was, had slunk   
her way into the small alley, carrying a bag over her shoulder.   
Before going any further, she peered around, looking for any  
witnesses to her presence. Satisfied that there were none, she  
continued on towards the wreckers yard.  
  
  
It struck Makoto that she wasn't particularly threatening.  
Indeed, she seemed more frightened than anything else. Naturally,  
considering the Sailorsenshi were in this world, and she was but  
one (that they knew of), she had good reason to be scared.  
  
But it wasn't that kind of fear. It was something deeper.  
How much deeper a fear could be than the fear of being killed,   
Makoto didn't know.  
  
"So, you decided to use a little restraint, this time?"   
Makoto turned. Standing behind her were Rei, Minako and Ami,  
also transformed into their Senshi personas. Makoto sniffed and  
shot Rei a dubious expression.  
  
"Give me a little credit for once, Mars." She shrugged and  
turned back to the alley, where she could see the Youma woman   
crawling over the back fence of the yard.  
  
"I'm glad you remembered what it means." Rei stepped   
alongside Makoto. "I don't feel evil intent from her."  
  
"Hmm...." Makoto crossed her arms. "Even so, we can't just  
let her roam about. Who knows what she might get up to in the   
future, even if her intentions now are honourable.... Or   
benevolent, as things appear."  
  
  
"Her energy signals are extremely weak." Ami was pressing   
buttons on her computer. "I'd say she's running desperately low on  
energy."  
  
"Enough to attempt to steal energy from someone." Makoto   
nodded, grimly.  
  
"And yet, she hasn't." Minako looked over Ami's shoulder at  
the illegible script on the screen.... Well, it seemed that way to  
her.  
  
Makoto and Rei turned to her, putting Minako on the spot.   
"Well, all we've heard are sightings on the media. Nobody has been   
attacked, as far as we know."  
  
"And with readings like these, I sincerely doubt anyone has."  
Ami rubbed her chin with her best attempt at intellectual   
thoughtfulness.  
  
"Where is that Usagi, then?" Rei huffed. "Just like her to   
be late in joining us."  
  
"For Kami's sake, Mars...." Minako rolled her eyes. "She's  
hardly in a fit state to be doing senshi business. You've seen what  
her eyes are like."  
  
Rei stuck her tongue out at Minako. "And whose fault is   
that? The baka never thinks things through."  
  
"Yeah, and I'm sure we'd all have let Miki burn if we'd been  
stuck in the same situation."  
  
Rei cracked her knuckles. "You looking for a fight?" Minako  
sneered back.  
  
"Whenever you're ready, girl."  
  
Ami stepped in between them, holding out her hands to keep   
them separated. "Now now now.... We don't want to get involved in  
any petty bickering. We have a job to do."  
  
"Like a regression." Rei, Ami and Minako turned to Makoto,   
who was staring off into space, thinking.  
  
"What do you mean, a regression?" Rei held up a fist. Makoto  
stared at her, calmly.  
  
"It's like we've regressed in our personality development   
since Galaxia ripped our starseeds from us. We're trying to build   
our characters again.... We're all acting like we did before we   
first met.... The same immaturities and insecurities."  
  
They thought this over for a while, Rei and Minako looking   
rather embarassed at their foolishness. Makoto turned back to the  
edge of the building. "So...." she took a breath. "What do we   
do?"  
  
----o  
  
From the Personal Journal of Neo Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
  
The relationship the others share with each other has   
always been an extremely tenuous one. It has often been   
difficult for me to understand exactly how pivotal I have been in  
keeping them together. Without me, in many ways, all hell would  
have broken loose between them.  
  
The first two to go would be Rei and Makoto. The pair of   
them have extremely active, and sometimes overbearing,   
personalities. However, they look at things from opposite sides.  
  
----o  
  
Usagi stepped into the waiting room, smiling nervously at  
her mother.  
  
"You took a fair old while. What if the lady called for us  
whilst you were in there?"  
  
"Eheh... Sorry about that. Too much to eat and drink at   
lunch." Usagi patted her stomach. Ikuko shook her head.  
  
"You are incorrigible, you know that? When I was your age,  
I never ate half as much as you do."  
  
Usagi put on a dubious smile and gave her mother the evil eye.  
"Oh yeeeesss?" She leaned closer, her mother sweatdropping.   
"That's not what Papa has told me."  
  
"Uhh... Just what has he told you?"  
  
"That I have as healthy an appetite as you used to have. At  
least, that's what he used to say. Remember?"  
  
Ikuko went red faced with embarassment. "Really, I never used  
to eat THAT much."  
  
"What do you mean, eat THAT much?" Usagi looked scandalised.  
"What do you think I am, the blob?"  
  
"There have been moments." Ikuko looked away, suppressing the  
smile she had on her face very badly.  
  
  
The door at the far end of the waiting room opened, and both   
Usagi and Ikuko looked up into the severe expression of the middle  
aged woman who popped her head through the opening.  
  
"Tsukino Ikuko and her daughter, Usagi, I take it?" She   
pushed her rimless glasses up her nose, looking from one to the   
other as if studying an alien form of life.  
  
Ikuko stood and bowed slightly. "Hai. We are they.   
Konnichiwa... Takashi-san, is it?"  
  
The woman raised her eyebrows, looking down her nose at the  
pair. "Indeed. Please enter my office, shall you?"  
  
As the woman turned, Usagi stuck her tongue out at her, and  
quickly whipped it back in again as her mother shot her a look.  
  
"Behave yourself. Now is NOT the time to be immature.   
Whether or not you become Miki's legal guardian, for the time being,  
is up to this woman."  
  
Usagi took a breath and nodded. "Gomen, Mama."  
  
"I know you don't like officious old maids.... That's always  
been one of your faults."  
  
"I'm not the one who said 'officious old maid'." Usagi pursed  
her lips and crossed her arms, staring at her mother dubiously.  
  
"Oh... Did I say that?" Ikuko put a hand to her mouth,   
giggling. "How absent minded of me." And with that, Ikuko stepped  
through the door into Takashi's office.  
  
----o  
  
From the Personal Journal of Neo Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
  
Now, I don't know about you, but there are times when I begin   
to wonder about the seriousness of Mama's scoldings. As I grew   
older, I began to recognise in her elements of my own personality.  
Or was it that I was becoming more like her?  
  
It's rather frightening, in a way, to see how much you begin  
to emulate your parents. Perhaps one of the things that frightens  
me the most about my inheritence of the monarchy.... I am slowly  
growing, with each passing day, to resemble my "other" mother....  
Queen Serenity. It's like looking at a ghost every time I look into  
the mirror.  
  
And so, one must wonder.... What is it, exactly, that I've   
taken on board from BOTH my mothers.... It brings into question   
just what aspects of me is really... me.  
  
It always gives me a headache thinking about it.  
  
I've had a lot of headaches in my life.... Every time it   
comes to having to think deeply about things....  
  
----o  
  
"Please take a seat." Takashi gestured to the two spartan  
chairs that sat on the opposite side of her large, wooden desk. Her  
office gave Usagi the jitters.... It looked.... Well, for want of   
a better term, old.  
  
It was almost as if she had wrapped herself in a blanket of  
antiquity.... Something that she felt comfortable in. It was her  
little parlour, and they were the flies who dared to venture within.  
  
Not that Ikuko seemed to give it much thought. She nodded and  
sat down, crossing her legs and sitting poised, as if trying to look  
like an attentive student. Usagi, on the other hand, slunk into her  
seat and tried her best to not look like something the dog dragged   
in.  
  
Takashi sat in her large, comfortable leather-bound seat and  
picked up a wad of papers from the top of the desk. "Well well   
well. A most unusual case we appear to have, here." She looked   
over her glasses at Usagi. "You're the great hero, Tsukino Usagi.  
How very pleasant to meet you."  
  
"A... arigato..." Usagi croaked.  
  
"Hmm... A shy little one, is she not, Tsukino-san?" Takashi  
smiled condescendingly at Ikuko, who smiled back. Takashi raised an  
eyebrow and nodded, as if accepting Ikuko's challenge. "So, this is  
a most unusual meeting for me.... It's not often that I get   
requests such as this on my desk...." She gestured with the papers.  
"After all, having been promoted to the managing director of the   
child welfare and services department, one would have thought I was  
over accepting work such as this."  
  
Usagi swallowed, sweatdrops appearing on her forehead.  
  
"Normally, that would be the case. However, it would seem   
that several esteemed members of the community wish for this to be  
handled by only the best. And so, I was directed to you." Ikuko  
smiled through this wanton gratiation. Takashi smiled.  
  
"Indeed. But I have to ask you, what makes you think your  
daughter is old enough and mature enough to take care of a six year  
old child?" Takashi rifled through the papers, selecting one or two  
from the pile. "I have been studying your life history, Miss   
Tsukino."  
  
Usagi could feel the sweat running through her clothes,   
creating a small ocean around her seat.  
  
"Your scholastic achievements, thus far, have been less than  
exemplary. Indeed, I have talked to one or two of your teachers.   
One detected the patent frustration in their voices. How about   
this...." She pointed to the top paper. "From one of your most  
recent teachers.... A Miss Haruna...." Takashi pushed her glasses  
back up her nose. "I quote... 'Usagi is disruptive, lazy,   
inattentive and lacks dedication and perseverance. Her schoolwork  
is almost always below her capacities, and her capacities are   
already near the bottom of the class....'"  
  
Usagi began to fidget as Takashi put the paper down, hanging  
her head and staring at the floor. Her mother rescued her from a  
fate worse than death.  
  
"So, now perhaps you'd like to answer the question, Miss   
Tsukino.... Do you think you're old or immature enough to take care  
of Miki?"  
  
"Perhaps you'd like to read on, Takashi-san." Ikuko's smile  
hadn't faded through Takashi's onslaught.  
  
The woman frowned, then picked up the paper again, reading out  
loud. "'However, considering the condition she has suffered since   
early childhood, and the way these negative aspects to her education  
are dissipating with great rapidity, I must say that she has   
achieved a great deal in an almost heroic manner.'" Takashi looked  
daggers at Ikuko. "Very well. Granted, she may have improved, and  
she had the mind to rescue Miki when the girl's life was in   
danger..."  
  
"Not to mention the fact that Miki has grown attached to   
Usagi." Ikuko added.  
  
"To be expected of a young child when someone has rescued them  
like that. However, Your daughter is still quite young, and   
according to this, has engaged in many immature behaviours. On top   
of that, there has been a complaint levelled at you by the child's   
in-laws, regarding your application as an interference in their family   
affairs." Takashi pointed her statements in Usagi's  
direction. Ikuko's smile started to falter.  
  
"We already dealt with Miki's aunt. She has, tacitly,   
accepted Usagi's application as guardian." Ikuko's jawline   
hardened, which made usagi even more nervous than before, if that   
was at all possible. Takashi stared at them, archly, smiling.   
  
Usagi wanted, desperately, to do her over at that point, but  
noticed something sitting on a nearby cupboard. A photograph of   
Takashi with a girl. A girl that Usagi recognised....  
  
"So.... What about you makes you think you're even vaguely  
worthy of being Miki's guardian?" Takashi leaned forward, staring  
at Usagi demandingly.  
  
"Mako-chan?"  
  
"Eh?" Takashi frowned, struck dumb at the comment which   
seemed to come out of nowhere. She then turned to the photograph  
that Usagi was looking at.  
  
"You.... You were the woman who handled Mako-chan's case when  
her parents were killed?" Usagi's mouth hung open, disbelievingly,   
an expression mirrored on Takashi's face when she turned back to   
Usagi.  
  
"Usagi.... You're THAT Usagi?"  
  
Ikuko's smile returned to its former strength.  
  
  
END OF PART 3  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Apologies to people who have been waiting for this chapter. A few  
gripes and grouches with an insurance company has been taking up  
my time and thoughts. ^_^;;  
  
JTW  
  
  
nIGHT rIDER ikari@wantree.net.au  
  
Member of the AJAS Fanfic Circle  
  
31st May 1998 


	4. Not a God 04: Rumblings of the Past and ...

Version 1.0  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"We've already dealt with Miki's aunt. She has, tacitly,   
accepted Usagi's application as guardian." Ikuko's jawline   
hardened, which made Usagi even more nervous than before, if that   
was at all possible. Takashi stared at them, archly, smiling.   
  
Usagi wanted, desperately, to do her over at that point, but  
noticed something sitting on a nearby cupboard. A photograph of   
Takashi with a girl. A girl that Usagi recognised....  
  
"So.... What about you makes you think you're even vaguely  
worthy of being Miki's guardian?" Takashi leaned forward, staring  
at Usagi demandingly.  
  
"Mako-chan?"  
  
"Eh?" Takashi frowned, struck dumb at the comment which   
seemed to come out of nowhere. She then turned to the photograph  
that Usagi was looking at.  
  
"You.... You were the woman who handled Mako-chan's case when  
her parents were killed?" Usagi's mouth hung open, disbelievingly,   
an expression mirrored on Takashi's face when she turned back to   
Usagi.  
  
"Usagi.... You're THAT Usagi?"  
  
Ikuko's smile returned to its former strength.  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
BISHOUJO SENSHI SAILORMOON  
NOT A GOD  
by nIGHT rIDER (Assistance by DDFA)  
  
Disclaimer - all characters pertaining to the series Bishoujo Senshi  
Sailormoon are owned by Takeuchi Naoko, Bandai and Kodansya. All  
other characters were thought up by me. Well, its true, isn't it?  
  
Chapter 4  
Rumblings of the Past and Future  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
From the Personal Journal of Neo Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
  
There is something intrinsic in our nature that makes us see  
a violent solution to an incipient threat as being the best course   
of action. And justifiably so.... Many of our enemies have been   
sad, mindless and soulless creatures.... Slaves, even, with only   
one thought on their minds.... Our destruction, and that of all  
humankind.  
  
Of course, there have been exceptions to this rule. I've   
spent much of my time trying to find those exceptions, but it's not  
always easy, especially with the others. They're like loaded guns,  
ready to go off at the merest tease of a hair trigger. And   
sometimes that frightens me.  
  
What frightens me even more is the effect they have on my own  
beliefs and feelings. Because, first and foremost, they are my   
friends, and people I honestly care about. With all my hopes in   
turning around their faults through my influence, a form of reverse  
education must be in occurrence.  
  
  
Within that wreckers yard, on that Winter's day, a test of   
just how well I had been able to rein in their faults was taking   
place....  
  
----o  
  
The wreckers yard was an intensely bleak place for anyone to   
be living. But for Arimus, it had been home for close to a month.  
  
The female Youma skulked through the yard, cloaked in a vast  
overcoat and carrying a haversack over her shoulder, she appeared to  
most to be a common vagrant.... Until they saw her up close, that  
was.  
  
Even by Youma standards, she could easily pass herself off as  
human, as long as nobody gave her a close look. Her slightly blue  
skin was the first giveaway, followed by her bright green eyes and  
hair. Apart from that, she looked like a normal human being. How  
she despised that term, especially when it applied to her.  
  
However, she had endured the insult, for no other reason than  
that her former master had turned to the other side.... As a loyal  
servant, she followed suit.  
  
  
But following suit meant turning against the Dark Kingdom.   
And now, even she wasn't sure just how much of that continued to  
exist in the timestream of current day Earth. She was alone, not  
knowing if any of her kind existed any more.  
  
She flitted between rows of wrecked or partly wrecked cars,  
occasionally staring up at the dark clouds that hung in the   
afternoon sky, seeing the rain that existed within. The weather  
had turned strangely cold over the last few weeks.... She had never  
really experienced the change a season could bring, or even the mild  
variations of weather that could occur. She did not enjoy it....  
  
Fortunately, she had made her home within a campervan, which   
for no visibly apparent reason had been dumped at the far end of the  
wrecking yard, and left there, forgotten. It was near-intact, with  
all the warmth of home. It was certainly warmer than the home she  
had back in the Dark Kingdom. But she was a Youma, and had learnt  
to endure such things.  
  
  
Reaching the campervan, she stopped at the door and peered   
about, frightened that she might be spotted entering the vehicle.   
There had been occasions when she had almost been caught by the   
yards owners... Or worse, people with evil in their hearts, doing  
horrible things around the vicinity of the van in the middle of the  
night. There was nothing she could detect more easily than the   
faint stench of corruption. No semblance of honour or dignity   
within beings of this nature.... Even Youma had their own codes  
of honour.  
  
Satisfied that there was nobody in sight, Arimus opened the  
door to the campervan and disappeared inside, the door slamming shut  
behind her, like a trapdoor spider disappearing into its hole.  
  
  
Makoto sat atop the small pile of cars, almost lazily   
contemplating her next move. She saw a small flash of red, off to  
her right, and turned to see Rei waving at her. The fire senshi  
was gesturing to the campervan.  
  
Makoto shook her head and held out her hands, as if telling  
Rei she already knew where the Youma went, but didn't really know  
what to do next. This was followed by a beeping on her   
communicator. She answered.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Don't give me the apathetic shrug, you overgrown bimbo. The  
thing has gone into that campervan. It's our chance to nab it."   
Rei's impatient voice echoed tinnily into Makoto's ears.  
  
"What was that? 'Overgrown bimbo'?" She growled into her  
communicator. "Listen, you brainless tramp, I could blast the   
living bejeezus out of the van if I wanted to.... But it doesn't  
feel quite.... well, sporting."  
  
"Brainless TRAMP!?!?" Rei shrieked with splenetic rage.  
  
"Makoto was right...." Ami's voice suddenly cut in on their  
pleasant conversation. "We ARE reverting to our former   
personalities."  
  
"I rather liked the brainless tramp line." Minako countered,  
making her own contribution to the argument.  
  
"You would, you blond sl...."  
  
"THAT WILL BE ENOUGH!" Ami managed to interject before Rei   
could say any more. "Have you all forgotten what we're supposed to  
be doing here?"  
  
"I know what I'd like to be doing here." Minako sighed. "And  
that is NOT being here."  
  
"I'll second that motion." Makoto chimed in, happily.   
"Anyone for the coffee shop?"  
  
"Look, let's just take the thing out, quickly, and get this   
over and done with." Rei said in exasperation.  
  
"But it hasn't done anything wrong, yet." Makoto whined.   
"You said yourself, you couldn't feel any hostile intentions from   
it."  
  
"That was before we all started having a go at each other."  
Rei sighed, sitting down on the pile of wrecks she had found   
herself, cross legged, leaning her chin on one arm.  
  
"I seem to remember who it was that started this argument."  
Minako gave Rei the finger from the other side of the yard. Makoto  
turned and shook her head.  
  
"Maybe I SHOULD just blast the campervan."  
  
"You know, I wish Usagi was here.... The lot of you are   
acting like a pack of grade schoolers." Ami sounded depressed.  
  
"Hey, I have an idea. Why don't I walk up to the campervan   
and knock on the door." Makoto sat up straight, smiling.  
  
"WHAT? ARE YOU CRAZY?" Rei shouted so loudly they could hear  
her without the communicator.  
  
"Oh great, ya black-haired twit. Let the thing know we're   
here." Minako mumbled dubiously.  
  
"Oh well, it can't do any wrong now." Makoto let out a long  
breath and hopped off the pile of wrecks, landing on the ground in  
front of the campervan.  
  
"Wait! Don't do it! It's too dangerous...." Rei said,   
stammeringly. Makoto ignored her and started her way forward,   
towards the door.  
  
"I'll cover you, Jupiter...." Ami made an appearance out of  
nowhere, running up alongside Makoto from in between the lines of  
wrecks, where she had been hiding.  
  
"I don't think it will be all that necessary, but thanks."  
Makoto smiled at her.  
  
"Olly olly oxenfree...." Minako bounded in to join them.  
"All for one, one for all, what do you say?"  
  
"You people are IDIOTS!" Said Rei as she ranged up on the   
three of them.  
  
"So why are you here?" Makoto looked at Rei, dubiously.  
  
"I can't let you make a complete mess of this all by yourself,  
now can I?" Rei said through gritted teeth, holding up a fist in  
Makoto's direction. The taller girl stared at the fist casually.  
  
"Actually, I'm more worried about you than the Youma right  
now. I'm certainly more likely to get bopped over the head by you  
than it." She ignored Rei's dark expression and stepped up to the  
door.  
  
And she knocked. Three times, in fact. "Hello, Sailorsenshi  
delivery service, is this the Youma Mansion Apartments? I have a  
special delivery for you...." She said with a sing-song voice and   
a grin.  
  
----o  
  
Ikuko smiled at Usagi as Takashi rifled through the paperwork,  
much to Usagi's confusion.  
  
"Did I say something wrong?" Usagi asked, softly.  
  
"I don't think so. In fact, I think it's just the opposite."  
Ikuko giggled, equally softly.  
  
"Tsukino Usagi.... Tsukino Usagi...." Takashi mumbled as she  
looked more intensively through her reports and files. Slowly, an  
expression of disbelief crossed her face, replacing the look of   
determination. "YOU, of all people.... YOU'RE the one that Mako-  
chan kept telling me about?" Takashi's jaw was on the table.  
  
"Uh-huh." Ikuko nodded, patting Usagi on the head, rather   
condescendingly. Usagi's face went red with embarrassment.  
  
"I just can't believe it." Takashi allowed the files to drop  
on top of the desk. "She.... I...." Takashi didn't know what to   
say.  
  
"Perhaps you'd like to read further on Haruna-sensei's report  
of Usagi, Takashi-san?" Ikuko smiled, handing Takashi the original   
file that she had dropped in her confusion.  
  
"Ah.... Ahem... Yes, of course." Takashi opened the file  
and started reading it from where she'd left off. "'However,   
considering the condition she has suffered since early childhood,   
and the way these negative aspects to her education are dissipating   
with great rapidity, I must say that she has achieved a great deal   
in an almost heroic manner. On top of this, she has acted like  
something of a counsellor to the other students. She has a strong  
empathy with people, and has, more than once, been responsible for  
helping students who were....'"  
  
Takashi paused. Ikuko gestured her to keep reading.  
  
"Who were... what?" Usagi frowned, not quite understanding   
what was being said. Usagi's mind was still pondering over the  
revelation of a 'condition'....  
  
"'She has a strong empathy with people, and has, more than   
once, been responsible for helping students who were on the verge   
of, or considering, suicide.'" Takashi swallowed.  
  
"They were WHAT?" Usagi's jaw hit the floor. "You mean there  
were people in school in THAT frame of mind? I never knew."  
  
"'I don't think Usagi does it consciously. To her, it seems to  
be something that comes naturally.... Trying to work out the   
emotional problems of others. Almost as if she were trying to cure   
the problems of the world in her own limited sphere of influence.'"   
Takashi trailed off, lowering the file, staring into space.  
  
"Yes." Ikuko nodded. "So, Takashi-san. What makes you think  
Usagi is not a good person to be taking care of Miki?"  
  
"I.... I.... This really doesn't change anything in terms of  
her application. The processes of bureaucracy have to be worked   
through." Takashi swallowed again. "However, despite my earlier   
feelings, I don't think.... I won't...."  
  
"Yes?" Ikuko crossed her arms. Usagi looked from her mother,  
to Takashi, and back.  
  
"You... have my blessings." Takashi said the words softly. A  
softness that Usagi thought was most uncharacteristic of the woman.  
Takashi sat back in her chair and stared down for several moments.  
  
"Does that mean I can get to look after Miki." Usagi asked,  
hopefully, a pleading look on her face.  
  
"Yes, I think it does." Ikuko smiled at her daughter.  
  
----o  
  
There was no response. Makoto was most disappointed, turning   
to look back at the others. "You think she's asleep?"  
  
"Maybe she's slipped out the back?" Minako scratched her   
chin, staring dumbly into the air.  
  
"Or maybe she's preparing to ambush us." Rei held up a fist.  
"I mean, what kind of Youma is it that hides in an old campervan?"  
  
"Why wouldn't she hide in an old campervan? We've had enemies  
hide in worse." Rei huffed and turned away, crossing her arms.  
  
"At least she has a sense of pride. After all, a campervan is  
designed for being lived in, as opposed to holes in the ground and  
caves and grottos and such." Minako sniffed. "I mean, if you were  
a monster, all alone in this world, you'd want to find as good a   
place to call home, wouldn't you?"  
  
"That didn't sound quite right, there, Venus...." Ami sighed.  
  
"Anyplace you can hang your home is a hat." Minako shrugged.   
The other three facefaulted.  
  
"Maybe we should try looking inside, rather than standing   
around here, chatting?" Rei pointed to the door. Makoto chuckled.  
  
"You sure changed your tune."  
  
"Well, it's not like anyone else here is making decisions."  
  
"Have it your own way." Makoto took hold of the door handle  
and tried to open the door, to no effect. "Hmm, must be locked."  
She tried, harder, but merely rattled the door.  
  
"Come on, Jupiter, where's your legendary strength gone?" Rei  
grinned, tapping her foot.  
  
"I'll show you where it has gone." Makoto gripped the door   
handle with both her hands and put a foot up on the campervan's   
side. "One, two, three, HEAVE!"  
  
  
Makoto wrenched the door from its hinges, falling flat on her  
back with a short cry, the door landing on top of her.   
"Iiitaaaiiii." She mumbled after a few moments.  
  
"Are you alright, Jupiter?" Ami asked, softly.  
  
"No, I am NOT okay. Will someone help get this door off me?"  
  
"Oh, sorry." Ami said as she and Minako reached down and   
pulled the door away from her. Makoto sat up, rubbing her head.  
  
"Jeez.... That damn thing should never have been so hard to  
open. I mean, it's not as if it is that well built." She slowly   
got to her feet, then arched her back. "Owwie."  
  
"What is it?" Minako asked, fearfully.  
  
"I've pulled a muscle in my back. Ack...." Makoto shambled  
around as Minako came to her aid. Meanwhile, Ami was studying the  
door as Rei peered into the campervan.  
  
"This is strange.... The door feels heavier than it should   
be." She clicked on her earring, and her visor flashed across her  
face. "Indeed, it appears the structure has been altered." Ami  
leaned the door against her shoulder as she took out her computer,  
making calculations on the door's structure.  
  
"What's the point of doing THAT, Mercury. The Youma could  
leap out at us at any moment." Rei turned to Ami, who sighed.  
  
"Don't you think it is strange? Maybe the Youma attempted to  
strengthen the campervan to protect itself." Ami turned around and  
showed Rei her calculations. "See for yourself."  
  
Rei stared at the symbols, dumbly. "Er, yeah, right."  
  
"I can see you don't understand." Ami sighed, shaking her   
head. "Ho hum. And you give Usagi a hard time when she can't   
understand these things."  
  
Rei's face turned dark as smoke rose from her ears. Ami   
ignored her and placed the door up against the side of the   
campervan. Minako guided the grimacing Makoto up to the pair of  
them.  
  
"Well, we're halfway there." Minako sniffed. "So, are we  
going in?" Rei huffed, crossing her arms.  
  
"Well, yeah, I would go in if I could see what was in there.  
Apart from the huge mess, that is. There is rubbish and boxes and  
stuff all over the place."  
  
"Really?" Ami looked through the doorway, her visor making  
things clearer to her. "I can see a figure, giving off a weak   
energy signal, lying at the far end of the campervan."  
  
"Eh?" The others frowned.  
  
"I think.... She's either asleep, or unconscious, or...."  
Ami swallowed, the others waiting for her next words.  
  
"Or?" Rei urged her to continue.  
  
"Or... she's dying."  
  
"Dying?" Rei's jaw dropped. "Oh, come on. Why would a Youma  
let itself die?"  
  
"Well, we know she hasn't taken any energy from anyone. Maybe  
she wants to die." Ami switched off her visor. "She's starving   
herself to death."  
  
They all chewed this over. Rei's face became solemn. "I   
did... feel.... that she wasn't a threat... earlier." She looked up  
at Makoto and Minako, then over at Ami. "Perhaps we should find   
out. First hand." She turned and stepped up into the campervan.  
  
----o  
  
From the Personal Journal of Neo-Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
  
Takashi-san actually turned out to be quite a nice woman, once   
she had thawed that icy front she'd put on to begin with. Makoto   
had often told me stories about a woman who had been looking out for   
her, like a second mother, or an aunt. It was only when I was able   
to see this kinder side to Takashi-san that I was capable of   
believing that she was the woman in Makoto's tales.  
  
It was interesting, later recounting this encounter with   
Takashi-san to Mako-chan, to see the expression on her face,   
especially when I described her attitude when my mother and I first  
walked into her office.  
  
To say Mako-chan was furious was an understatement. For a few  
moments I thought I'd rung the death knell on their relationship.   
But Mako-chan is quite forgiving of people, underneath. Except for  
those she holds things against. That sounds like I'm contradicting  
myself.... Well, anyway, we'd managed to smooth things over, later.  
  
  
Takashi-san went out of her way to please us after this   
turning point in our appointment. In fact, she told me things about  
Mako-chan that even Mako-chan had never told me. Perhaps, more or   
less, out of embarrassment. And one of those things included Mako-  
chan's... ahem... "Long Lost Senpai", for want of a better term....  
  
There were a few shocks associated with that tale, I can tell  
you, and things that she would never forgive me if I recounted them  
here....  
  
----o  
  
"That's.... I don't believe it. She's not a...."  
  
"Yes, well, I think it's best that this little bit of   
information not go any further than this office. It was just one  
of those things, I'm afraid." Takashi giggled, nervously, as Usagi  
sat back in her chair, pondering this.  
  
"I hope you're not planning on dumping any little surprises  
like this on us, Usagi-chan...." Ikuko nudged Usagi in her ribs,  
making her daughter shift, nervously.  
  
"Oh, Mama.... How many times do I have to tell you...."  
  
"Anyway." Takashi continued. "All the paperwork is   
completed. At least, things are clear at this end. There is no   
reason, now, why Miki can't go home with you tonight, as long as the  
doctors involved agree with this, of course."  
  
"Well, the way she was bouncing around when we visited her   
earlier, today, I don't think there would be a problem on that   
account." Ikuko handed Takashi a form she had signed. Takashi took  
the form and studied it, nodding.  
  
"Miki is a very fragile girl. I've known her for quite a   
while. It is good to see that she is in remission."  
  
  
"Ano...." Usagi interrupted. Ikuko and Takashi looked at   
her.  
  
"What is it, Usagi-chan?" Ikuko asked. Usagi swallowed,   
nervously.  
  
"Haruna-sensei's notes.... They mentioned a.... um... a   
'condition' that I had...."  
  
  
"Well." Takashi interrupted her. "I think I should call the  
hospital to let them know you are coming back for Miki." She stood,  
holding out her hand to Ikuko.  
  
"Ano...." Usagi croaked.  
  
Ikuko also stood, taking Takashi's hand. "Thanks for your   
help, Takashi-san. It has been good to meet you."  
  
"You too." Takashi smiled. She then stepped around from   
behind the desk as Usagi stood, nervously. "Usagi-chan..."  
  
"Ah, hai?" Usagi blinked. Takashi threw her arms around the  
surprised girl, hugging her. "Good luck. And thankyou."  
  
"Thankyou?"  
  
"For Mako-chan. For Miki-chan." Takashi pulled herself back  
and looked at Usagi, smiling, her hands on Usagi's shoulders. "I   
leave Miki in better hands than my own." She put up a hand and took  
the dark glasses from Usagi's face, surprised by how sore they   
looked.  
  
"Takashi-san?" Usagi winced as the full light struck her   
eyes. Takashi closed hers, then opened them again, smiling.  
  
"I had to see them. Your eyes. It is so hard to feel empathy   
towards a pair of dark sunglasses."  
  
Usagi nodded. "Ano... About my condition...."  
  
Takashi turned away and bowed to Ikuko, who bowed back.  
  
Why are they ignoring me about this, Usagi thought to herself.  
  
  
END OF PART 4  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
nIGHT rIDER ikari@wantree.net.au  
  
Member of the AJAS Fanfic Circle  
  
28th Jun 1998 


	5. Not a God 05: Time Enough to Live

Version 1.0  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
"I think.... She's either asleep, or unconscious, or...."  
Ami swallowed, the others waiting for her next words.  
  
"Or?" Rei urged her to continue.  
  
"Or... she's dying."  
  
"Dying?" Rei's jaw dropped. "Oh, come on. Why would a Youma  
let itself die?"  
  
"Well, we know she hasn't taken any energy from anyone. Maybe  
she wants to die." Ami switched off her visor. "She's starving   
herself to death."  
  
They all chewed this over. Rei's face became solemn. "I   
did... feel.... that she wasn't a threat... earlier." She looked up  
at Makoto and Minako, then over at Ami. "Perhaps we should find   
out. First hand." She turned and stepped up into the campervan.  
  
----o  
  
"Ano...." Usagi interrupted. Ikuko and Takashi looked at   
her.  
  
"What is it, Usagi-chan?" Ikuko asked. Usagi swallowed,   
nervously.  
  
"Haruna-sensei's notes.... They mentioned a.... um... a   
'condition' that I had...."  
  
  
"Well." Takashi interrupted her. "I think I should call the  
hospital to let them know you are coming back for Miki." She stood,  
holding out her hand to Ikuko.  
  
"Ano...." Usagi croaked.  
  
Ikuko also stood, taking Takashi's hand. "Thanks for your   
help, Takashi-san. It has been good to meet you."  
  
"You too." Takashi smiled. She then stepped around from   
behind the desk as Usagi stood, nervously. "Usagi-chan..."  
  
"Ah, hai?" Usagi blinked. Takashi threw her arms around the  
surprised girl, hugging her. "Good luck. And thankyou."  
  
"Thankyou?"  
  
"For Mako-chan. For Miki-chan." Takashi pulled herself back  
and looked at Usagi, smiling, her hands on Usagi's shoulders. "I   
leave Miki in better hands than my own." She put up a hand and took  
the dark glasses from Usagi's face, surprised by how sore they   
looked.  
  
"Takashi-san?" Usagi winced as the full light struck her   
eyes. Takashi closed hers, then opened them again, smiling.  
  
"I had to see them. Your eyes. It is so hard to feel empathy   
towards a pair of dark sunglasses."  
  
Usagi nodded. "Ano... About my condition...."  
  
Takashi turned away and bowed to Ikuko, who bowed back.  
  
Why are they ignoring me about this, Usagi thought to herself.  
  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
BISHOUJO SENSHI SAILORMOON  
NOT A GOD  
by nIGHT rIDER (Assistance by DDFA)  
  
Disclaimer - all characters pertaining to the series Bishoujo Senshi  
Sailormoon and Taiho Shichauzo are owned by Takeuchi Naoko,   
Fujishima Kosuke, Bandai, TBS, and Kodansya. All other characters   
were thought up by me. Well, its true, isn't it?  
  
Chapter 5  
Time Enough to Live  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
Rei pushed her way through the junk that was piled throughout   
the campervan, shying away from the bugs and creepy crawlies that   
scuttled into the dark corners. What little light entered the large  
portable home was cast through windows caked with dirt and grime,   
making things even darker than it otherwise would have been. So   
dark, in fact, that Rei didn't see the spider's web until she had   
walked into it.  
  
"EEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAG!" Rei screamed out at the top of her  
lungs as the owner of the web, a large, black and rather cross   
little arachnid, landed on her nose. She shook the spider away and  
took a leap backwards, into Makoto's arms, where she remained for  
a good while, foaming at the mouth. This didn't please Makoto much,  
since her back was still playing her up.  
  
"What happened?" Minako pushed past Makoto, ready to use her  
Venus Love Me Chain on Rei's attacker. Makoto sighed, rolling her  
eyes and pointing at the spider with a free arm as the hapless   
arachnid scampered for the nearest shelter.  
  
"That happened." Makoto should have known better when she   
said that. As soon as Minako saw the spider, she was hanging onto   
the support railings that crossed the ceiling.  
  
"Tell me when it's gone.... I'll get down then...." Minako  
babbled.  
  
"Look, for Kami's sake, will you just get down from there. We  
didn't come in here to act like a pack of weak-willed, screaming   
bimbos...." Makoto heaved Rei up onto her feet and started slapping  
her around the face. "Wake up, you idiot.... It was just a   
spider...."  
  
"But... It was big and hairy and it wants to eat me and I'm  
really scared of spiders...." Rei shivered as she blinked back into  
the real world. "And don't slap me like that.... It hurts."  
  
"It hurt me even more when you landed on top of me.... My   
back... Ohhh...." Makoto put her hand behind her back and   
stretched herself to the left a couple of times, trying to loosen up  
her sore muscles.  
  
  
This less than impressive scene was interrupted by Ami, who   
was standing just behind Makoto. She had been scanning the room   
with her visor, but had now switched it off. "I can see it. With   
my own eyes, clear as day. It's in the corner...."   
  
"Of course there's something in the corner, Mercury....   
That's the spider...." Minako whined from the ceiling.  
  
"No, you fool.... IT'S in the corner. I can see its shape,   
in the darkness...." She pointed, and the others followed her   
directions.  
  
Sure enough, they spied the huddled figure, as gaunt and   
frightened as she was, there was no doubt.... It was the Youma....  
  
----o  
  
From the Personal Journal of Neo-Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
  
CONDITION CONDITION CONDITION.  
  
The word could mean close to anything, from something that is   
intrinsic to something that is ephemeral. But it always means that   
there is something WRONG!  
  
It is unlikely that the word would come up, in reference to   
me, for any other reason. When I was younger, I would often feel  
slightly different to others, even though I was, by no means, a   
social outcast. I guess everyone feels this way.... A certain   
awkwardness in relating to others.  
  
But I'd always put these thoughts aside. Mostly because of  
WHO I am, rather than thinking that there was anything wrong with   
me. It was pathetically easy to do, after all, everything that I've  
had to live through these past few years must have had SOME effect   
on what I'd always regarded as my "child's personality".  
  
But to have the word "condition" thrown at me in that manner,  
without actually being told what this condition is.... Indeed,   
having those around me AVOID telling me by throwing off the subject  
in a casual manner.... Well, what can I say? There is nothing in  
the world that will spark my curiosity more completely than being   
ignored.  
  
  
As we were travelling between the office of Takashi-san and   
the hospital to pick up Miki, I brooded. Mama wasn't saying   
anything. She just sat there, smiling in that manner that mothers  
have perfected for thousands of years when there is something they  
would rather break to you gently, or not at all....  
  
  
----o  
  
"Usagi-neechan!" Miki leapt into Usagi's arms with the kind   
of energy Doctor Mizuno was surprised to see from a girl who had,   
not so long ago, been too ill to move from her bed. Usagi scooped  
Miki up from the ground and lifted the dark-haired girl to face  
height, smiling as she ran a hand through Miki's long hair,   
tenderly.  
  
"Have we been a good girl whilst I was away." Usagi giggled  
as Miki rolled her eyes.  
  
"Aww, come on.... I'm in a hospital. There isn't a lot I can  
do wrong, is there?" Miki smiled, giggling in turn. Doctor Mizaki,  
Miki's physician, nodded with satisfaction, arms crossed, as he   
turned to Doctor Mizuno and Ikuko.  
  
"She's certainly looking more hale and hearty than I've seen  
her in a number of years.... I don't know what kind of energy it is  
that your daughter radiates, Tsukino-san, but I wish I could bottle  
it. It would be a miracle cure for many of the ills I've seen."  
  
Ikuko put a hand behind her head, chuckling. "Well, she has  
this effect on a lot of people. I guess you can say she's got that  
kind of personality." She put on a wicked grin. "She inherited it  
from me, of course."  
  
"Oh, of course." Mizaki bowed to her, holding out a hand in  
deference. "M'lady."  
  
  
"Teehee.... He looks silly...." Miki pointed at Mizaki, who   
stood up, putting his hands in his pockets, blushing nervously.  
  
"Uh-oh.... I think we've been caught out." He said aside to  
Ikuko, who nodded.  
  
"Miki!" Usagi wagged a finger at the girl. "It's rude to   
point, you know." Miki stuck her tongue out at Usagi and pointed  
both fingers at her. "You sound like my Mama." She giggled.  
  
"Do I?" Usagi sweatdropped. "Oh dear...."  
  
  
"Anyway...." Doctor Mizuno turned to Ikuko. "With the   
paperwork done with, and the relatives' consent, Miki is Usagi's   
responsibility for the time being."  
  
"One would hope she's up to the task." Ikuko flashed her eyes  
mischievously at her daughter, receiving the expected response.  
  
"Aww, Mama.... You're just picking on me."  
  
"Can we go up on the roof? I want to see the city from the   
hospital roof." Miki waved her arms about. Usagi looked at her,   
then back at her mother and Doctor Mizaki. Mizaki nodded.  
  
"I don't see why not. You haven't seen much of the city, have  
you, Miki?"  
  
"Nah.... Just what I've seen on tv, and out of my bedroom   
window...." She paused. "And from hospital.... Across the street.  
It hasn't been much...."  
  
Usagi looked at Miki, sadly, and hugged the girl. "Don't   
worry. You'll get to see as much of this city as I can show you."   
She let Miki back down to the floor, brushing down the girl's   
hospital gown. "Where is your jumper.... It's getting late and   
might be a bit cold on the roof...."  
  
  
As Usagi and Miki walked over to Miki's bag, containing all  
her worldly goods, to rifle through in search for a jumper, Mizaki  
stepped closer to Ikuko and Doctor Mizuno, speaking in a hushed  
tone.  
  
"How much has been explained to her about Miki's condition?  
She knows how bad it can become?"  
  
"I've.... explained the basics to her..." Ikuko swallowed.  
"She has also met with Miki's aunt, Tanaka-san...."  
  
"Ah yes..." Mizaki nodded.  
  
"She's not the kind of person to hide things from others, is  
she?" Ikuko stared into Mizaki's eyes, sternly. "It was a good  
thing you'd warned me about her, beforehand.... And the way to deal  
with her. I must say.... There were a couple of moments I would  
have liked to.... Well, let us just say that Usagi feels deeply  
about a lot of things, something I've had to LEARN to contain."  
  
"Tanaka-san is not as bad as she makes herself out to be....  
She is a very defensive individual.... I've often wondered about  
her background. I'm lead to believe it was not.... the best."   
Mizaki sighed. "She likes to test people, I'm afraid. I was Miki's  
third physician.... The previous two... had been unable to deal   
with Tanaka-san's foibles."  
  
  
"We're off..." Usagi sang, holding onto Miki's hand, the   
young girl now bedecked in a too-large windcheater, as they made   
their way to the door.  
  
"Don't be too long." Ikuko tapped her watch. "Be back in  
twenty minutes.... I'll be in Doctor Mizuno's office, okay?"  
  
"Haaiii." Usagi and Miki chorused, together. They both   
looked at each other, then laughed out loud as they left the room.  
  
----o  
  
"I think she's scared of us." Makoto moved around the last   
few boxes before reaching the corner of the campervan that the Youma  
was huddled in. Clear of the boxes, the corner was covered in   
several soiled sheets and blankets.... The Youma's bedding. The   
Youma herself was not particularly displeasing to look at, being as  
weak and as gaunt as she was, Makoto had the impression that, in her  
prime, she had been quite attractive. If one discounted the fact   
that she had pale blue skin and green hair and eyes.  
  
"I...." The Youma croaked. "I am not... afraid... of   
humans..." She pulled her cloak tightly around her and tried to   
stand, failing. Eventually, she managed to push herself up the   
wall, leaning against it, by which time all four senshi had moved   
into the clearing. "I... am a loyal servant... of the... Dark...  
Kingdom... No human... frightens me..." She began to hack and   
cough, doubling over with one hand over her mouth, the other over  
her chest. The four only just managed to resist the temptation to  
come to her aid.  
  
"Who are you, Youma?" Rei pointed a finger at the woman, but  
her voice lacked the determined threat she had often used against  
other enemies. The woman looked up at her, her green eyes glinting  
with a kind of mild amusement, which seemed strangely sad to them.  
  
"My name... is Arimus... I am a Youma soldier... under the   
control... of the Dark Kingdom General... Nephrite..."  
  
"Nephrite?" Makoto frowned. "But Nephrite is dead... And   
the Dark Kingdom is.... It doesn't exist, anymore." She found it  
difficult to validate her memories of their battles with the Dark   
Kingdom, especially with the strange variations that had been  
inflicted upon the time streams.  
  
"This... I know..." Arimus closed her eyes and shook her   
head, weakly. "When my Lord came over... to your side... it was the  
duty and... the curse... of those who... served under him to...   
follow...." She opened her eyes, and slid down the wall, finding  
herself unable to stand any further.  
  
"What did she say?" Minako queried Makoto and Rei. They both  
looked at her and shrugged.  
  
"I think she's trying to tell us she is not a threat." Ami   
stepped forward, towards the ailing Youma woman. "In her own way,   
of course."  
  
"Wait... Mercury..." Rei reached out to stop Ami, but Makoto  
grabbed her arm. Rei looked up at her, questioningly, but Makoto   
merely shook her head. As Ami knelt down beside Arimus, the woman  
hissed at her, threateningly. Ami wasn't fooled.  
  
"You looked tired." She said, softly, placing a hand on   
Arimus's arm. The woman looked down at the hand, then up again.  
  
"I long for my final rest. Soon it shall come... All those  
who are weak must die."  
  
"Why do you not take the energy of we humans, to feed your   
needs?" Ami sat herself, cross-legged in front of her. Makoto   
followed suit.  
  
"I..." Arimus paused as she watched Minako and Rei follow   
Makoto's example. "I am weak... I have not... the will... to harm  
any longer." She dropped her face, looking down at her lap.   
"But... I cannot rest, yet..." She perked up. "I must see the one  
you call Serenity. As Nephrite turned, so must I. I have a warning  
to give you..."  
  
"What kind of warning?" Makoto asked.  
  
"Tis about the Dark Kingdom.... You say tis dead, do you?"  
  
"It's... what we believe. We have nothing to dispel this   
belief." Ami nodded. "It is very difficult to know, since our   
memories of that time... if it even still exists... have been warped  
in some manner."  
  
"Ah... yes... Well, you see... The Dark Kingdom... It was   
not so much... destroyed when... Beryl... Metallia... fell... It   
was removed... so to speak... from time. Guarded by a barrier...   
which is now... beginning to collapse..."  
  
----o  
  
The sunlight was slowly beginning to fade as night approached.  
As Usagi thought, the air up on the roof of the hospital was a great   
deal cooler and windier than down on the ground. Twenty storeys up,  
both she and Miki had a wonderful view of the growing number of   
lights across the city.  
  
Miki was up against the handrail, open mouthed, as she watched  
the waning of the day. "It's beautiful..." She said, softly.  
  
"I guess it must be, to someone who never sees the dirty side  
of a big town like this." Usagi smiled. "But yes, from up here,   
even Tokyo can look nice."  
  
"Are there people in all of those buildings?" Miki pointed in  
a wide arc across the panoramic view. Usagi nodded.  
  
"I should think so, in most of those buildings, anyway."  
  
"So many people. I'd like to meet them." Miki clapped her   
hands together, excitedly. "When you show me the city, can we meet  
lots and lots of people?"  
  
Usagi sweatdropped. "You know, not everyone in the world is  
nice.... There are some mean and nasty people out there, too."  
  
"I'm not scared of them." Miki stuck a fist in the air,   
almost daring the world in one gesture. "Sailormoon is in this   
city, protecting all the good people. We have nothing to fear."  
  
Usagi sweatdropped again. "You like Sailormoon, don't you?"  
  
Miki nodded. "Hmm. She's my favourite hero. I want to grow  
up just like her. Strong, and unafraid to face any foe." She began  
punching the air. "Wham! Bam! In the name of the moon, villains,  
I shall punish you." She then stood back from the railing and sat  
down, looking up at the astounded Usagi with a giggle. "What's   
wrong, Usagi-oneechan?"  
  
"Oh.... Nothing. You seem to be full of energy today, that's  
all...." Usagi sat down next to Miki.  
  
"That's because I'm going to live with my number one friend   
and hero." Miki leant her head against Usagi's side. Usagi smiled   
and put an arm around Miki's shoulders.  
  
"Am I better than Sailormoon?"  
  
"Way better." Miki giggled, then went quiet. "Usagi-  
oneechan..."  
  
"Hai?"  
  
"How much time do we have together?"  
  
Usagi didn't know how to answer that question, because she   
didn't really know in what context Miki was asking it. "As much  
time as you want...." She eventually replied.  
  
"What if I get sick again?" Miki looked up at Usagi, who   
swallowed, feeling a shiver run through her.  
  
"You're only as sick as you think, Miki. Do you think you're  
sick now?"  
  
"No. I feel really good now."  
  
"Then there's no reason to think you'll ever be sick like   
that again, is there?"  
  
"I guess so." Miki smiled.  
  
"There is more than enough time to live." Usagi shook Miki's  
shoulders. "Life is about having fun, and doing everything you want  
to do. It's the only way you'll make a mark on the world." She   
looked back at the open door to the stairwell. "Come on, I think we  
better get back to Mama, or she'll be cross at the both of us."  
  
"Haaiiii." Miki chortled, happily.  
  
----o  
  
  
From the Personal Journal of Neo-Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
  
After returning with Miki to the office of Ami's mother, I was  
given a lecture on what Miki could and couldn't eat. She had a   
multiple number of allergies, and that already started my worrying.  
  
Worrying about what I could eat in front of her. Everyone   
KNOWS what my appetite is like. Enormous at the leanest of times,  
for all the good things that are patently wrong for you. Well, it   
just so happened, surprise surprise, that Miki was unable to eat a  
lot of my favourite foods. So, then and there, I vowed that I would  
never eat any of these things in her presence.  
  
It would be unfair for her, to see those she respected and   
cared for as friends, having things she couldn't have. Of course, I  
would have to enforce this rule, especially with Shingo and the   
others.... In Shingo's case, it would be something close to   
impossible, and I became concerned about the way he would treat   
Miki....  
  
At the same time, I was becoming worried about the others. I  
hadn't heard from them since the initial emergency call. Not that I  
think they are incapable of taking care of themselves.... Believe   
me, there is no-one on this planet as capable as they are in self  
defence. It's just the offworld attacks that make me worry....  
  
  
So many things to worry about.... That's responsibility for  
you....  
  
Meanwhile, plans were afoot that would affect my immediate   
future....  
  
  
----o  
  
Chief Superintendent Arizuka wandered up the stairs of the   
Bokuto Precinct Police Station, saluted by the two nervous officers  
who were standing guard at the front entrance.  
  
The burly, aging veteran officer chuckled, an imposing figure  
in his dark, well-badged police uniform. He clutched his clipboard  
tightly as he turned to his driver, still standing by the car in   
which he had arrived, in the front courtyard of the station,   
saluting. After a brief nod, he stepped through the front doors of  
the station.  
  
  
Arizuka was used to being feared by subordinates, although not  
always with good reason. A strict and upright individual, he was a  
great deal more flexible than other Chief Superintendents had been.  
But it was not always a good thing to develop a reputation for being  
flexible when one was at the pinnacle of his profession.  
  
So he went out of his way to cultivate the persona of "Lord   
Enma", the great Demon-King of Japanese mythology.... Everyone   
feared a visit by "Lord Enma".... Stories would abound over   
officers being sacked or transferred to remote locations after one  
of his visits. True, he had had occasion to exercise a little   
discipline here and there, but barely as much as would be stated on  
the grapevine.  
  
  
"Ah, Chief-Superintendent...." Arizuka turned as he stepped   
up to the main desk, expecting no resistance to his intention to   
walk through to the main office. The Captain of the Bokuto   
Precinct, a tall, tanned and lazy-eyed figure and a one-time student   
of Arizuka, stood beside him, doing his best to retain his sense of   
calm in Arizuka's presence. "This is a most... unexpected   
pleasure."  
  
"Indeed." Arizuka adjusted his glasses. "I see the internal  
alarm system is working perfectly in here. I didn't expect you to  
emerge from your cave quite so quickly after my arrival."  
  
The Captain smiled, nervously, his thin, dark moustache   
twitching. "Actually, I was already here." He put his hands behind  
his back. "May I be so bold as to ask the purpose of this visit,   
sir?"  
  
Arizuka smiled, shrugging. "I have a job for our favourite   
pair of female officers... Tsujimoto and Kobayakawa. Something to  
do with a young lady who is to receive a national award for   
bravery, by the name of Tsukino Usagi...."  
  
  
END OF PART 5  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
nIGHT rIDER ikari@wantree.net.au  
  
Member of the AJAS Fanfic Circle  
  
31st May 1998 


	6. Not a God 06: Living the Life

Title: Not a God Part 6 (Version 1.0)  
Author: nIGHT rIDER  
Email: ikari@wantree.net.au  
Rating: G  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
Arizuka was used to being feared by subordinates, although not  
always with good reason. A strict and upright individual, he was a  
great deal more flexible than other Chief Superintendants had been.  
But it was not always a good thing to develop a reputation for being  
flexible when one was at the pinnacle of his profession.  
  
So he went out of his way to cultivate the persona of "Lord   
Enma", the great Demon-King of Japanese mythology.... Everyone   
feared a visit by "Lord Enma".... Stories would abound over   
officers being sacked or transferred to remote locations after one  
of his visits. True, he had had occasion to exercise a little   
discipline here and there, but barely as much as would be stated on  
the grapevine.  
  
  
"Ah, Chief-Superintendent...." Arizuka turned as he stepped   
up to the main desk, expecting no resistance to his intention to   
walk through to the main office. The Captain of the Bokuto   
Precinct, a tall, tanned and lazy-eyed figure and a one-time student   
of Arizuka, stood beside him, doing his best to retain his sense of   
calm in Arizuka's presence. "This is a most... unexpected   
pleasure."  
  
"Indeed." Arizuka adjusted his glasses. "I see the internal  
alarm system is working perfectly in here. I didn't expect you to  
emerge from your cave quite so quickly after my arrival."  
  
The Captain smiled, nervously, his thin, dark moustache   
twitching. "Actually, I was already here." He put his hands behind  
his back. "May I be so bold as to ask the purpose of this visit,   
sir?"  
  
Arizuka smiled, shrugging. "I have a job for our favourite   
pair of female officers... Tsujimoto and Kobayakawa. Something to  
do with a young lady who is to receive a national award for   
bravery, by the name of Tsukino Usagi...."  
  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
BISHOUJO SENSHI SAILORMOON / TAIHO SHICHAUZO  
NOT A GOD  
by nIGHT rIDER (Assistance by DDFA)  
  
Disclaimer - all characters pertaining to the series Bishoujo Senshi  
Sailormoon and Taiho Shichauzo are owned by Takeuchi Naoko,   
Fujishima Kosuke, Bandai, TBS, and Kodansya. All other characters   
were thought up by me. Well, its true, isn't it?  
  
Chapter 6  
Living the Life  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
From the Personal Journal of Neo-Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
  
I have never really considered myself to be a "responsible"   
person.... Well, I have been, in a way.... There are a lot of   
things I have done throughout my life that can be categorised as  
responsible, but I'd done those things more as a matter of course.  
Either that or I'd been forced into them by destiny and a small,  
dark blue-black cat.... But, in truth, I'd never expected anyone  
to actually see me as being a responsible person.... How foolish  
of me to think that way.  
  
It seems I have been born into the position, and shall never  
escape it.... Much of what I do is unconscious.... I'm a very  
giving, caring individual, even if I do fail to think things   
through, properly, when placed under stress.... I believe that  
emotions are important, and have always lived my life based of that  
theory.... Emotions are what makes you human. Without them...   
well, it doesn't bear thinking about.  
  
By being so emotional.... so caring, had meant that, whatever   
my failings, a great many people had seen me in a positive light, no   
matter what they would say about me to my face.... Usually it was   
their attempt to balance out the ledger book.... To get me to   
function intellectually as well as emotionally. But I'm not, and   
never will be, someone like Ami.   
  
She had sacrificed a lot of her emotions to play the gifted   
child for her mother's sake.... Time soon erased much of her inner   
abrasiveness (as well as my influence upon her), and she soon   
discovered that her own mother was just as happy having a daughter   
who could feel as well as think, even at the cost of the occasional   
high grade. In return, she aided me in improving the WAY I  
thought....  
  
  
But I couldn't see it at the time.... I didn't consider   
myself to be a good, responsible person because of all the criticism  
I received. So, in a way, I rebelled against them, doing my best to  
live a life for myself.... Have fun whilst I was still young, again  
not realising that this open, caring attitude was having a positive  
effect upon those around me.... (Or is that an aspect of my powers?  
I've never really been able to work that one out).  
  
The student counsellor at Junior High had written in a report,  
after I had graduated to Senior High, that her workload had   
increased threefold upon my absence.... She would have loved me to  
have failed, as it would have given her a greater opportunity to   
study my methods. She'd even written a thesis on the way I would  
deal with people, which, much to my embarrassment, made mention of   
the fact that I would occasionally barge in where angels fear to   
tread.... like with new students that had bad reputations from their   
old schools.... Of course, this will be my downfall one day, I'm  
sure. Not everyone is as accommodating or as nice as Mako-chan was.  
  
  
Anyway, my little piece of heroism had made the news, even   
though it hadn't been THAT big a story.... I mean, come on....   
People do that sort of thing, all the time, don't they? I couldn't  
have been more wrong. Amazing as it may seem, especially when one  
considers the way people treated me in my early school days, there  
were those in positions of power and influence who considered what I  
did to be going "above and beyond the call of duty". One of those  
people was the Chief Superintendent of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police  
Department, a man named Arizuka....  
  
He is a very imposing figure, and a man of great dignity and  
intelligence, as it turns out. A lot of people are very afraid of  
him.... Not that I really saw him that way.... The first time I   
saw him, I had this vision of him as a big, cuddly teddy bear....  
Well, I did say I tend to run by emotion rather than thought.  
  
Anyway, Arizuka had a plan for me, one that would change my  
outlook on life, to a degree, and lead to one of those changes in  
life that one never quite sees until it's smack bang in your face...  
  
  
----o  
  
The Chief was never comfortable with his old teacher....   
Arizuka did his best to keep him on the back foot, making him   
defensive and conscious of his every action, his every thought....  
Memories of the time Arizuka had visited Bokutoo Station for an  
inspection were still fresh in his mind.... The nightmare of being  
lead away from the station, on the proviso of picking up the   
Superintendent from the Head Office, when Arizuka had already left,  
had made him sick for days afterwards. Despite his calm, casual  
exterior, the Chief thought rather deeply about his little team of  
officers.  
  
And they were such a worry for him, too.... Bokutoo was no  
ordinary police station.... It was generally considered to be the  
dumping ground of weirdoes in the Metropolitan Police Force....   
Nobody there were, for want of a better term, normal.... They were  
the very extreme of every kind of person one could hope to meet....  
And two of them were standing in his private meeting room, having  
been requested by Arizuka for a particular purpose....  
  
Tsujimoto Natsumi and Kobayakawa Miyuki were probably one of  
the more effective all-female partnerships the Chief had under his  
command.... And certainly the most flamboyant and vocal. They were   
opposites in every way.... The short-haired, tomboyish Natsumi,   
whose first encounter with Arizuka had been from within a locker   
(and a memorable first encounter it had been, too) and resident   
scooter-wizard, with her specially engineered Moto-Compo... And the   
pigtailed Miyuki, more introverted in her feelings and emotions than   
Natsumi, but one of the station's best pursuit drivers and   
mechanics.... They made the perfect pair of opposites....   
  
Their unconventional style of policing was what attracted  
Arizuka to them.... Enough so that he had the pair act as a couple  
of bank robbers to test the Tactical Response arm of the department.  
And a good thing it was, too, for they totally creamed them, using  
a mixture of inside knowledge and obsessive planning, backed up by  
other members of the Bokutoo station.... It gave Arizuka the excuse  
he'd wanted for shaking up Tactical Response.... Whilst Natsumi   
and Miyuki had been ruthless in their execution of the bank holdup  
plan, they had been nowhere near as ruthless, or as organised, as  
real criminals would have been.  
  
So it was only natural that he would choose them for what he  
hoped would be a far easier assignment, and far more profitable to  
the department....  
  
"You want us to train a cadet ON DUTY?" Natsumi blinked in  
disbelief as Arizuka sat, arms folded, nodding sternly.  
  
"Indeed, I have been giving this some thought, for some time,  
now.... But it has taken this recent event, with one of the younger  
members of our community performing such an heroic act, to bring it  
to fruition."  
  
"But she's still a High School student...." Miyuki crossed an  
arm over her front, rubbing her chin with her other hand. "She is a  
little young, dumping her straight into real police duties might be  
just a bit much...."  
  
Arizuka looked up at the two standing female officers, biting   
his lower lip as he thought. His gaze rendered their casual stance  
a little less casual. "As I have said, I have been giving this some  
thought. And I am not simply choosing her because of this one   
act... All the assessments that have been made of her since she was  
very young have pointed to the fact that she would make the perfect  
public servant.... You can read the documentation for yourselves.  
After all, I think it would be best for you to KNOW this girl before  
you have to deal with her."  
  
"Yes sir, but documents and reports are one thing, actually  
dealing with the girl, as a person, is another." Miyuki frowned.   
"You have read the reports of just about everyone who works within  
this station.... I'm quite sure not all have met your expectations  
of them.... Need I remind you of officers like Futaba-kun?"  
  
Arizuka shivered for a moment. "Ah yes, Futaba.... One of   
the MOST commended officers this station has.... I have... come to  
accept the fact that we have a male officer who likes to dress as a  
woman. Of course, in the most cases, it has been rather effective,  
especially in cases of undercover work.... However, that is beside  
the point...." Arizuka cleared his throat. "I suggest that, if you  
REALLY want to get to know her, then I think you should talk to her  
old teacher, and her school counsellor, like I have done. I'm quite  
sure you shall be as convinced, as I have, that she would make the  
perfect cadet officer, and one with a lot to offer not only the   
Bokutoo Precinct but the police force as a whole."  
  
"So... uh... When should we expect her to start here? I   
mean, we'd like a little time to prepare for this, and all...."   
Natsumi swallowed. Arizuka smiled at them, mischievously, making  
the Chief groan in his seat, placing a hand across his eyes.   
Arizuka looked across the small coffee table at his former student.  
  
"What is wrong, my friend? Ah, I remember, now.... Should I  
tell them, or should you?" Arizuka chuckled as the Chief sank lower  
into his seat. Natsumi and Miyuki stared at him.  
  
"Ch... Chief?" Natsumi quizzed him. He sighed and looked up  
at the pair.  
  
"The girl... Umm... Miss Tsukino... has not yet been   
consulted about this...."  
  
"SHE'S WHAT?" The jaws of the two female officers hit the   
floor. "You're trying to tell us you've got all of this planned out  
without even ASKING the girl, first?" Natsumi continued.  
  
"Oh, I've had a few conversations with her mother over the   
phone...." Arizuka crossed his arms and nodded. "A nice lady I  
must say.... She was VERY receptive to the idea.... Said it would  
certainly sort her daughter out."  
  
"But.... what you're trying to say is.... That we... have to  
tell her... ourselves?" Miyuki clutched the tie on the front of her   
uniform, nervously. Arizuka smiled at her.  
  
"Of course. That's why you were chosen for this.... You work  
SO well with the kiddies." He laughed.  
  
Natsumi and Miyuki facefaulted.  
  
----o  
  
  
From the Personal Journal of Neo-Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
  
And now, the question....  
  
What does one do with a Youma that patently presents no threat  
to us, or the human race in general.... indeed, has some desire to  
help us?  
  
We have been, for so long, ready to kill and destroy such   
creatures, safe in some knowledge that they aren't, somehow, real   
forms of life. As we understand them.... but minions, puppets, of   
some greater force, that created them. Arimus changed this point of   
view.   
  
She may have hated human beings, because of the way she had  
been taught.... Nurture has a lot to do with the way people think,  
and I'm quite sure that the Youma think the way they do because of  
the atmosphere, the society, in which they were brought up....   
However, despite this fear, this hatred, she wanted to help us....  
And it was for one simple reason.  
  
All Youma were dedicated to the cause of the General to which  
they were assigned, and in some way, influenced telepathically by   
the thoughts and feelings of those Generals.... Arimus belonged to  
Nephrite, and everything that had happened to him, in those days  
before his death, were transferred into the mind of the Youma he had  
commanded, despite the fact that he had gone out of his way to   
refuse them. From what I know of Nephrite's history, as told to me  
by Arimus herself, Nephrite despised the necessity for beings such  
as the Youma in their battles, preferring to rely on his own powers.  
  
However, knowing this does not present the answer to the   
original question.... What WERE we to do with Arimus? She could  
disguise herself as a human, so that was no problem.... IF she had  
the power to do so. In the campervan, within the junkyard, my   
Senshi were faced with a Youma who had barely enough energy to stay  
alive, let alone use any of the powers at her fingertips.... Had  
she the use of those powers, it was likely she might have tried to  
attack them when they had entered.... She IS a Youma, after all....  
  
They couldn't leave her there, not in the state she was in,   
that was for certain.... As Arimus drifted between consciousness   
and delirium, an argument broke out between Mars and Jupiter....   
Mars, as reactionary as she is wont to be, thought it would have   
been better to leave Arimus where she lay.... She couldn't bring  
herself to kill her.... The threshold between adversary and   
compatriot had been crossed.  
  
Jupiter was even more aware of this sense, and devised a plan  
to smuggle Arimus across the city to her apartment.... There,   
Arimus would be free of the prying eyes of those around her, and  
given some opportunity to recover in peace.... if she was going to  
recover at all....  
  
----o  
  
Jupiter and Venus stood on the side of the street, supporting  
Arimus by each arm, whilst Mars attempted to hail down a taxi....   
Not easy to do when one is drawing a small crowd of curious   
onlookers.... It wasn't everyday that one would spot a gaggle of  
Sailorsenshi trying to hail down a taxi cab in the middle of a busy  
city street.  
  
"Nothing to see here, move along." Mercury waved at the small  
assembly, nervously, standing between Arimus and a few children who  
were tugging at her skirt to see if it was real. "What are you   
doing?"  
  
"Are you a Sailorsenshi?" A young girl asked, innocently.  
  
"Yeah, of course she is.... Just look at her." A boy,   
standing next to her, prodded her in the side.  
  
"They're so cool...." Another young girl tugged on her   
bemused mother's coat tails. "Can I have a costume like theirs?"  
  
"No you can't.... A normal sailorfuku is exorbitantly   
expensive these days.... I'm sure what they're wearing is tailor  
made...." The mother sniffed as she looked down at her daughter,  
haughtily.  
  
"Awwww...." The girl stuck her thumb in her mouth. Mercury   
sweatdropped as all this went on.  
  
"I'm terribly sorry.... We aren't the Sailorsenshi... Just  
an.... an acting troupe.... on our way to a show.... Yes, that's   
it." Mercury giggled, her hand behind her head. The small crowd  
looked on dubiously.  
  
"I still want a costume like theirs." The girl with her   
mother said out loud. Mercury almost fell to the ground.  
  
"Ano ne...." She jumped on the spot. "I said we are an   
ACTING TROUPE. We aren't really the Sailorsenshi.... I'm just an  
actress, understand?"  
  
"So what about her, huh?" The boy pointed at Arimus. "Is she  
one of your troupe, too?"  
  
"Err... Yes.... But she isn't feeling well."  
  
"She's got blue skin.... I could see it as you were walking   
out from the alleyway." An elderly woman pointed at Mercury. "Blue  
skin, I tell you.... That'd better be a good makeup job...."  
  
"Well, I did say she wasn't feeling well." Mercury   
sweatdropped again, realising how lame that sounded. "She's had a  
tough time in the last few days, preparing for tonight."  
  
"Hey, Sailormercury.... Can you show us a Mercury Aqua   
Rhapsody or something.... I wanna see you doing something REAL   
cool." The boy jumped up and down on the spot. Mercury groaned.  
  
"Have you listened to a thing I've said?" She turned to   
Jupiter, whispering aside. "Where is that damned taxi? This is   
getting REAL hard to keep up...."  
  
"It's here." Jupiter whispered back as Mars danced back onto   
the kerb, a white taxi cab pulling up alongside them.  
  
"I thought it'd never happen.... A dozen must have avoided  
us since we arrived here." Mercury sighed and turned back to the  
crowd, smiling. "Sorry, peoples, we've got to go.... Be sure to   
see our stage play.... 'Mercury and the Four Seasons' I'm the   
star, you know." Mercury bowed dramatically to the crowd, receiving  
an applause. She was just beginning to get into the adulation thing  
when Mars bopped her one over the back of the head and dragged her  
into the front seat of the taxi.  
  
"Mercury and the Four Seasons, indeed." Mars growled at the  
inanely giggling Mercury. "Is that the best you could come with? I  
would, at the very least, said something like 'Summer of the   
Seventeenth Mars', or something like that.... Get arthouse, my   
dear...." Mars slammed the door, peering into the back seat of the  
taxi, where Jupiter and Venus were sitting either side of Arimus.  
"How is she holding up?"  
  
"Not too bad, all things considered." Venus rubbed Arimus's  
hand. "She's terribly cold.... But that could mean anything with   
a... Ummies.... Hello, Mister Taxi Cab Driver." Venus smiled at  
the bemused driver, who stared from his seat at the cloaked figure  
of Arimus.  
  
"And uhh.... Where would you girls like to go? The Ginza?"  
  
They all glowered at him. "What do you mean, the Ginza?"   
Mars held up a fist, threateningly. Mercury managed to calm her   
down.  
  
"Now now.... It's not because of him that our show was   
canceled...." Mercury pulled Mars back from the driver, who was  
doing his best not to look down at the ample view of her legs,   
lecherous old codger that he was....  
  
"Just take us to this address...." Mars handed him a card.  
He stared at it for a few moments, then shrugged.  
  
"Very well...." He tuned back to the road , and grinned   
evilly. "Time to bite the bitumen, my little beauty." With a   
maniacal cackle, he planted his foot as hard as possible on the   
pedal, his taxi screeching away from the kerb. Everyone in the taxi   
went sprawling across the seats, not being given enough time to put   
their seatbelts on.  
  
"Oh great...." Venus whined from the back. "Of all the taxi  
drivers we had to hail down, we end up with the taxi industry's   
resident psycho...."  
  
"I thought my bed was feeling awfully comfy this morning."   
Jupiter sighed. "Remind me, next time to take heed of such omens."  
  
----o  
  
  
From the Personal Journal of Neo-Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
  
It is only on the rarest of occasions that we meet up with   
people who have abilities greater than our own.... The taxi driver  
that my senshi hailed down happened to be an ex Toyota Japan Factory  
touring car race driver, with a specially modified taxi complete   
with twin turbocharged 3000cc V6 Mitsubishi motor and nitro   
injection, just in case of emergencies.  
  
I could guarantee that, if he didn't have them before, he   
certainly now had a number of fingerprints and gouges in his seats  
and dashboard.... But, one has to say, they reached Mako-chan's  
apartment in record time, and quite safe, to boot.... at least   
physically, if not mentally.  
  
Arimus managed to take all of this in her stride, of course,  
considering this was her first ride in a taxi, she wouldn't have   
noticed any difference....  
  
  
Meanwhile, whilst my senshi were enduring the concise and   
abridged version of the World Rally Championship, I was travelling  
home with Mama and Miki in a taxi that was travelling at a somewhat  
more sedate pace.  
  
Miki was quite excited, of course, glued to the window, taking  
in all the sights of Tokyo in the early evening.... Watching all   
the vehicles on the roads, the people of the streets. I was worried  
she would suffer whiplash from the number of times her head was   
zagging from left to right and back again.  
  
Then she did something that surprised me. Not having yet told  
her much (if anything) about Mamo-chan, she pointed something out to  
me that she really shouldn't have been able to know....  
  
  
----o  
  
"Usagi-neechan." Miki held Usagi's sleeve, tugging on it   
gently as she leaned against the window in the rear seat of the   
taxi. Usagi, who was holding her so she wouldn't fall about as the  
car moved, smiled at her.  
  
"What is it, Miki-chan?"  
  
"Is that where your boyfriend lives?" She pointed up to a   
building of apartment blocks. Usagi frowned and removed her   
protective glasses, squinting at the building, recognising it   
immediately.  
  
"Why.... Yes, it is! But.... How did you...?"  
  
"Weren't you supposed to water his roses for him, Usagi-  
neechan?" Miki blinked at her, innocently. Usagi snapped her   
fingers.  
  
"Of course.... I forgot about that." Immediately forgetting  
the fact that Miki had asked a question about something she really  
shouldn't have known that much, Usagi leaned forward and placed her  
hand on her mother's shoulder, who was sitting in the front   
passenger seat. Ikuko turned to her.  
  
"What is it, Usagi-chan?"  
  
"Mamoru's flowers.... I haven't watered them for a couple of  
days, now.... I have to stop off, here.... It will only take a few  
minutes." Usagi looked at her mother, hopefully. Ikuko shrugged   
and turned to the driver, who glanced over at her.  
  
"I don't see why not. This is my last job for the night....   
I'll stop the meter until you get back." He smiled. "It'll give  
me an opportunity to do my books for the afternoon. Save me from  
having to do them back at the office."  
  
Ikuko turned back to Usagi. "Looks like you get to water your  
flowers, then." She giggled. "And Miki and I get to see inside   
your Mamo-chan's private domain." Ikuko and Miki made ominous   
noises to each other.  
  
"Woah.... Mamo-chan's secret lovenest." Miki giggled.  
  
"The dark pit of iniquity itself." Ikuko slapped her thigh.  
"This SHOULD be amusing."  
  
Usagi felt a large weight drop down on top of her shoulders...  
  
END OF PART 6  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
nIGHT rIDER ikari@wantree.net.au  
  
Member of the AJAS Fanfic Circle  
  
22nd September 1998 


	7. Not a God 07: A Right Pretty Picture

Title: Not a God Part 7 (Version 1.3)  
Author: nIGHT rIDER  
Email: ikari@wantree.net.au  
Rating: G  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
From the Personal Journal of Neo-Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
  
Fear.  
  
Is having one's mother make a mother's inspection of your   
boyfriend's home, especially after one has come to see his home as a  
private domain for the two of you to share quiet moments   
together....  
  
  
----o  
  
"Mamoru's flowers.... I haven't watered them for a couple of  
days, now.... I have to stop off, here.... It will only take a few  
minutes." Usagi looked at her mother, hopefully. Ikuko shrugged   
and turned to the driver, who glanced over at her.  
  
"I don't see why not. This is my last job for the night....   
I'll stop the meter until you get back." He smiled. "It'll give  
me an opportunity to do my books for the afternoon. Save me from  
having to do them back at the office."  
  
Ikuko turned back to Usagi. "Looks like you get to water your  
flowers, then." She giggled. "And Miki and I get to see inside   
your Mamo-chan's private domain." Ikuko and Miki made ominous   
noises to each other.  
  
"Woah.... Mamo-chan's secret lovenest." Miki giggled.  
  
"The dark pit of iniquity itself." Ikuko slapped her thigh.  
"This SHOULD be amusing."  
  
Usagi felt a large weight drop down on top of her shoulders...  
  
----o  
  
  
From the Personal Journal of Neo-Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
  
Of course, I'll probably do the same to Chibiusa, when she is  
old enough to have a true boyfriend of her own. If she is ever   
given the opportunity to have a normal relationship....  
  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
BISHOUJO SENSHI SAILORMOON / TAIHO SHICHAUZO  
NOT A GOD  
by nIGHT rIDER (Assistance by DDFA)  
  
Disclaimer - all characters pertaining to the series Bishoujo Senshi  
Sailormoon and Taiho Shichauzo are owned by Takeuchi Naoko,   
Fujishima Kosuke, Bandai, TBS, and Kodansya. All other characters   
were thought up by me. Well, its true, isn't it?  
  
Chapter 7  
A Right Pretty Picture  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
Life at the Bokutoo Police Station was not what anybody could  
vaguely describe as normal, especially for a police station.   
Tsujimoto Natsumi pondered this fact as she pushed the station's   
resident cross-dressing officer, Futaba Aoi, back through the   
doorway of the ladies' changerooms.  
  
"Another five minutes, at the very least, Aoi-chan." She   
muttered to the tallish, effeminate-looking man, remarking that he  
seemed to keep himself looking a great deal better than any female  
member of the station's staff, as his long, wavy brown hair dangled  
in her face.  
  
"But you should have been finished by now.... We had an   
agreement, I get to use the changerooms at a certain time after the  
change of shift." Aoi turned to Natsumi, affecting a disconcerted   
and overdramatic feminine pose. Natsumi sighed, rolling her eyes.  
  
"We were delayed by a meeting with Lord Enma.... What can I   
say?" She shrugged and turned back to walk into the changerooms.  
  
"So what's Yoriko's excuse, then?" Aoi pointed to the short,   
dark-haired girl, who was peering around the door of her locker,   
trying to hide the fact that she was near-naked behind it.  
  
"Don't you get me involved in this." Yoriko shook a fist at   
him. Aoi stuck his tongue out at her and strode away in a fit of   
pique.  
  
"Yoriko!" Natsumi waved a finger at her, admonishingly. The  
girl huffed.  
  
"He should KNOW better than to start changing when he SEES us   
in here.... He's just trying to push the terms of our agreement,   
that's all.... Just because he wants to BE a woman...." She   
grabbed her civvies from the locker and placed them down on a bench  
seat in the middle of the aisle.  
  
"Well, he almost qualifies.... He seems to attract more men   
than you." Natsumi smiled at Yoriko, who made something akin to   
volcanic grumbling noises. Deciding she didn't want to be close   
when Yoriko finally erupted, she stepped into the neighboring   
aisle, where her partner, Kobayakawa Miyuki, was buttoning up her   
skirt.  
  
"You really should know better than to tease Yoriko like   
that." Miyuki looked up at her partner. "She might be small, mousy  
and annoying, but she's not unattractive.... Besides, she WAS the   
one who caught the eye of a Prince.... A real-life one, even...."  
  
Natsumi threw up her hands. "Yeah, well.... Unlike some, I'm  
not praying some Prince comes along to scoop me up in his arms....   
I've already got.... The Captain!" Natsumi clasped her hands   
together as she went doe-eyed, staring into space and giggling   
inanely. Miyuki looked at her, dubiously.  
  
"Yeah. Right."  
  
  
Natsumi snapped out of her reverie, and leaned forward into   
Miyuki's face. "And so how are you and Ken-chan going, hmmm?"  
  
"Natsumi...." Miyuki pulled back. "I've told you, many   
times, don't call Nakajima-kun Ken-chan...."  
  
"Why not? You do." Natsumi started her patented evil laugh,  
to which Miyuki decided it was time to abandon this thread of   
conversation and start on something more pertinent.  
  
"Aaaaaanyway.... What do you think of this plan of Arizuka-  
san's, to have cadets working with experienced officers, on the   
job...?"  
  
  
Natsumi stood back and threw up her hands. "I ask you....   
What makes Lord Enma think we'll be able to deal with an on-the-job   
cadet?" She leaned up against her neighboring locker, crossing her   
arms. "I mean, it's a ridiculous idea....."  
  
"I think the idea is quite a good one." Miyuki smiled,   
looking into her locker, pausing for thought. "It should teach the  
girl a few things about the job, thus giving her some idea about how  
dangerous it can be before she advances any further...."  
  
"Yeah, and she could get hurt in the meantime." Natsumi shook   
her head. "I had to pass the entrance exams before I could receive   
my cadetship, and they aren't exactly easy...."  
  
"I think you forget..." Miyuki giggled. "I seem to remember   
a certain workmate of ours who managed to pass her entrance exam by   
a process of sheer luck."  
  
"You be quiet!" They heard Yoriko bark from the other side of  
the lockers. Natsumi and Miyuki grinned at each other.  
  
"Why am I not surprised that she is listening in?" Miyuki   
whispered as she threw on an overcoat and reached down to take out   
her shoes. Natsumi smiled.  
  
"It's the stock in trade of the professional gossip." She   
nodded. "Whatever the case.... There has been only one young girl   
I can think of who was dedicated enough to become an on-the-job   
cadet.... And she had her own strange reasons...."  
  
"Saori-chan?" Miyuki looked up, blinking.  
  
"Indeed." Natsumi nodded, remembering the troublesome   
schoolgirl, who decided to become a police officer for no better   
reason than she thought it would be cool, after being saved a couple  
of times by Natsumi and Miyuki from various criminals and perverts.   
At least, as far as Natsumi knew....  
  
Saori had gone so far, after their best efforts to dissuade   
her, to put herself in danger, hoping to help Miyuki and Natsumi   
catch a couple of illegal porn video makers, trading on young women  
and schoolgirls.... Utilising her trust mobile phone to help track  
them down before they could have their way with her.... Not that  
she behaved in a manner that allowed the pair of hapless saps to   
take advantage, and as soon as Natsumi arrived on the scene....  
  
"She was almost hurt, herself...." Natsumi took a breath.   
"That's the problem with kids these days.... They're too   
enthusiastic, and don't know the dangers involved, or the real   
meaning of responsibility...."  
  
"Reminds me of someone I know." Miyuki winked at Natsumi.  
  
"What are you saying?" Natsumi shook a fist at her. "I am a  
completely responsible individual, I'll have you know." She put a  
hand on her chest in an overdramatic display of wounded pride.  
  
"Yet you STILL can't wake up on time...." Miyuki ducked as  
Natsumi took a half-hearted swing at her.  
  
"Baka.... You know that's different." Natsumi stepped away  
from the lockers, walking in circles around the aisle. "It's my   
condition, you see.... I've never been able to get up before   
eight...."  
  
"Is that PM or AM?" Yoriko's disembodied voice echoed through  
the changeroom. Miyuki almost toppled back onto the bench seat   
behind her, laughing out loud.  
  
"You better have good health insurance, Yoriko.... You're   
going to need it when I get my hands on you." Natsumi shook her  
fist at the lockers.  
  
"It's just a joke, Natsumi." Yoriko whined. "Jeez, you're  
in a foul mood, today...."  
  
"I am NOT in a foul mood!" She shouted. "What makes you   
think I'm in a foul mood?"  
  
"The fact you have your voice raised." Miyuki sighed. "Come  
on, Natsumi.... Taking on this girl isn't going to be THAT   
hard...." She paused. "That IS what is upsetting you, isn't it?"  
  
Natsumi turned to Miyuki. "Of course it is.... I mean, the  
job here is hard enough, without having to look after some snotty-  
nosed kid."  
  
Miyuki shrugged. "Well, I wouldn't call someone who risked   
their life to save a young girl a 'snotty-nosed kid'.... From what  
the Chief Inspector told us, her actions were very similar to the  
kind of almost unthinking, heroic behaviour you specialise in."  
  
"My actions are not unthinking." Natsumi huffed. "And I AM  
a hero, so there, nyahhh boo." Natsumi blew a long, slobbery   
raspberry at Miyuki and stormed off, out of the changerooms. Miyuki  
started counting to see how long it would be before she came back to   
put on her pants....  
  
----o  
  
The taxi arrived outside Makoto's apartment block with a   
superbly executed handbrake slide, stopping perfectly against the  
kerb.  
  
"This is the address you wanted, ladies?" The driver turned  
to Mercury and Mars. "Oro.... Why are you hugging each other like   
that?" He blinked as the pair of senshi clutched each other for  
dear life in the front passenger seat, their eyes screwed shut.   
Suddenly realising that the taxi was no longer moving, they peeked  
out of nervous eyes and took in the situation, promptly letting each  
other go and brushing themselves down in an attempt to regain some  
lost dignity.  
  
"Ano.... hai. This is the address we specified." Mars said  
in a slightly imperious tone as she wiped beads of sweat from her  
forehead.  
  
"That'll be 950 yen, thanks." The driver hit his meter and  
lifted up his record book from the door pocket. Mercury and Mars   
stared at each other for a moment.  
  
"B... but...." Mercury swallowed. "We don't keep money in   
our senshi uniforms...."  
  
"But.... I had money on me when I changed...." Mars stared  
at her uniform, looking for an otherwise hidden pocket she'd not   
seen in her previous endeavors. "It was in the pocket of my uniform  
jacket."  
  
"This isn't your school uniform." Mercury reminded her,   
holding a lecturing finger in the air. "And there ARE no pockets in  
these uniforms.... In short, when we change, the money goes with   
our normal clothes."  
  
Mars sweatdropped. "Ano.... We.... We NEED money right   
now. This isn't a matter of logistics, concerning the availability  
of pockets on our senshi costumes."  
  
Mercury put a finger to her mouth, staring at the roof of the  
car in sudden realisation. "Oh yes. Sorry. Forgot about that."  
  
"Kami forgive me.... I promise not to two-time my boyfriends  
any more, if you just keep me alive a moment longer." Said an arm  
that was rising from the back seat. Arimus, still partly hidden   
under her cloak, leaned forward, bemused by Venus's crumpled form  
that lifted itself from the footwell at the base of the back seat.  
  
"Were we supposed to be frightened by this?" She whispered  
softly into Venus's ear. The blond-haired senshi looked at her   
incredulously.  
  
"Are you for real?" She gave Arimus a pained expression.  
  
"I may be a Youma, but I am real, I can assure you." Arimus  
sat back in the seat, closing her eyes to conserve her strength as  
Venus pulled herself back onto the seat.  
  
"You can relax now, Jupiter." Venus patted Jupiter on the arm  
as the tall girl continued to sit, her arms and legs holding her   
form rigidly in place. Jupiter turned her face to Venus, grimacing,  
her teeth clamped together.  
  
"Not until the world stops moving, thankyou very much. Would  
you like a side order of fries with that?"  
  
"Ano.... Mako-chan?" Venus waved her hand in front of   
Jupiter's eyes, getting no sense of recognition at all.  
  
"Sorry, your call could not be connected. Please check the  
number you have dialed and try again."  
  
  
"So, what you girls are trying to say is, you don't have any  
money. Am I reading you right, or something?" The driver's pen   
hovered over his logbook as he ground his teeth together. Customers  
had this tendency to forget cash with an alarming regularity,   
nowadays.... More often than not because they couldn't remember   
anything after experiencing his driving.  
  
"Oh, no no no...." Mercury sweatdropped. "I'm sure Mako-chan  
has money up in her apartment. Ne, Mako-chan?"  
  
"We apologise for this disruption to services. We shall   
return to the normally scheduled program shortly." Jupiter's three  
companions facefaulted as she giggled inanely and started to recite  
the three o'clock fairy rhyme.  
  
"Kami help me.... If she starts babbling just ONE THING about  
her long lost senpai, she'll be seeing Crystal Tokyo from butt to   
breakfast time." Mars grumbled.  
  
"So...." The driver began to drum his fingers. "Let me get   
this straight.... I have brought you all this way, yet you have no  
money?" The driver turned, staring Ami and Rei down.  
  
"But I DID have money...." Rei protested, patting the sides   
of her sailorfuku. "It's GOT to be here, somewhere...."  
  
The driver narrowed his eyes. "Do you know what I do to   
passengers who don't pay me?" His tone managed to bring even Makoto  
back to the real world. All four senshi watched with alarm as a   
huge, steaming red aura of battle energy rose around the driver. "I  
am a member of the taxi-drivers' union.... It is not a good idea to  
cross us!" He growled.  
  
  
Fortunately, their salvation came at that point. There was a   
gentle tapping on the driver's window. He turned to see a pair of  
hypnotic, scarlet-red eyes staring in at him, belonging to a well   
dressed woman, with an olive complexion and dark green hair. It was  
love at first sight for the driver, as he wound the window down.  
  
"C... Can I help you?" he asked, drooling. The woman smiled,  
sweetly, and pulled something out of the pocket of the jacket of her  
expensive, light-coloured business jacket.... Money...  
  
"Shall this pay for the ride of these young fools?" The woman  
asked, feigning a cute, high voice. The driver looked down at the   
notes she was holding out.... There was more than enough, plus a   
healthy tip, to cover. He nodded dumbly, taking the money.  
  
"Thankyou... uhh... ma'am."  
  
"You're welcome." The woman smiled sweetly again, making the  
driver melt in his seat.  
  
"Get out." He snarled briefly at the others, then turned back  
to Setsuna, who was posing like a model, keeping the attention of   
the driver as the others helped Arimus from the taxi, looking at her  
with cynical, dubious eyes.  
  
"The things I do for these idiots...." Setsuna thought to   
herself....  
  
----o  
  
"It's clean." Ikuko remarked, as she stepped through the   
front doorway to Mamoru's apartment. Usagi turned to her mother as  
she removed her shoes.  
  
"Of course it's clean. What did you expect it to be?" Usagi  
sniffed indignantly as she dropped her shoes at the step before the  
carpet. She turned as Miki pressed into her side.  
  
"It's big.... Bigger than my old house." Miki said as she   
looked up at Usagi. "Is your house as big as this?"  
  
"Ours is bigger." Usagi thumped her chest, proudly. "Only  
the best for the Tsukino family."  
  
"And let's face it...." Ikuko giggled, putting a hand to her   
mouth. "We've needed a big house to put up with Usagi and Shingo's   
arguments that have been raging all these years."  
  
"Mama!" Usagi looked daggers at Ikuko.  
  
"Will I be able to have arguments, too?" Miki smiled   
innocently at Usagi. "Mama and I never really had much to argue   
about." Usagi and Ikuko stared at Miki, incredulously.  
  
"Uh.... Yes, I suppose you will be able to have arguments....  
Not that I could see why you'd want to have any...." Usagi kneeled  
down to Miki. "Why? You have anything you want to argue about with  
me?" She flicked Miki's nose, making the girl giggle.  
  
"Not really.... But all the dramas I saw on tv had people,   
members of the same families, arguing with each other. I wondered   
if that was what normal families did...."  
  
"Miki-chan, if you got most of your understanding on families  
from television, then you have a LOT to learn." Usagi hugged Miki,  
then leaned back. "Now, you wait with Ikuko-mama here while I deal  
with Mamo-chan's flowers, ne?"  
  
"Haaaiiii." Miki smiled, and Usagi stood, patting her on the  
head, then turned and walked into the apartment, disappearing   
through a doorway. Ikuko removed her shoes and took Miki by the   
hand.  
  
"What do you say, we take a look around?" She smiled down at   
Miki, mischievously.  
  
"Un." Miki nodded, smiling back. Ikuko helped Miki up the   
step and wandered through the main room, towards one of the doors   
that lead further into the house.  
  
They peered down the darkened passageway, then at each other.  
Miki shrugged, and Ikuko reached to switch on the light. It was as  
obsessively clean as the rest of the house, that they had seen.   
Slowly, they made their way along, towards the closest room.  
  
  
The room was dark, and had the distinct, thickly carpeted   
smell of a more private domain.... Ikuko guessed that it was   
probably Mamoru's bedroom, although one couldn't be sure. Flicking  
on the light, she could see that it was, indeed, a bedroom....   
Whether or not it was Mamoru's, or a spare bedroom, there was no   
sign. There were little personal embellishments to the room, but   
nothing that made it look distinct.  
  
The bed was set in the middle of the room, up against the far  
wall, with cabinets on both side. There was a mirror desk near the   
door, and a dresser sitting underneath the window, with a couple of   
wardrobes on either side. Ikuko was so busy taking this in, that   
she hadn't realised that Miki had let go of her hand, and was   
wandering through the room, touching things.  
  
"Don't move anything, Miki-chan, or we'll probably get into   
trouble.... Don't want Usagi biting our heads off, or anything."  
  
"Haaaaiii." Miki smiled back at Ikuko as she ran a hand along  
the end of the bed. "Has Usagi-oneechan slept in here, before?"  
  
"Eh?" Ikuko frowned. "Well, I don't know... That's... kind   
of personal...." She sweatdropped. Miki giggled.  
  
"Silly...." She padded her way to one of the bed cabinets,   
and picked up a photograph that was sitting there. Ikuko hadn't   
noticed it when she had made her brief scan of the room. "They look  
like a family...."  
  
"Who?" Ikuko stepped into the room, taking in the atmosphere  
of the room. If there was anything she had been good at, it was   
reading the atmosphere of particular rooms, getting a feel for their  
use and frequency of usage.  
  
"Usagi-oneechan, her boyfriend and the little girl." Miki   
held up the photograph to show Ikuko. She recognised it as a copy   
of the one that sat on Usagi's dresser, and had to agree that,   
indeed, Usagi, Mamoru and Chibiusa DID look like a family, excluding  
the fact that Usagi would've had to have been half her age to have   
given birth to the pink-haired girl. "Who is this little girl?"   
Miki turned the photograph around and touched it, tracing her   
fingers around the image of Chibiusa.  
  
"Ah, that's Chibiusa.... She's Usagi's cousin.... I think."  
Ikuko scratched her head. She always did have something of a blind  
spot when it came to that girl....  
  
"No.... She really seems.... Really feels.... Like Usagi-  
oneechan's daughter...." Miki swallowed, feeling strange, all of a  
sudden. A twinge of sadness ran through her that she couldn't   
explain, and she quickly put the photograph back on the cabinet,   
turning away from it, as if trying to remove its existence from her  
mind.  
  
"Are you alright, Miki-chan?" Ikuko looked at her with   
concern. The little girl turned to her, eventually, and smiled.  
  
"Un." She nodded. "I just felt a bit dizzy."  
  
"We really should be getting home and getting you into a nice,  
warm bed." Ikuko sat on the edge of the bed and reached over to   
Miki. The girl stepped into her arms, allowing her to be guided up  
to her, pressing into Ikuko's chest.  
  
"Aww.... I don't want to go to bed just yet.... I still   
wanna see a few things." Miki screwed up her face, looking up at   
Ikuko who was smiling down at her, kindly.  
  
"Now now now.... We don't want to get you sick on your first  
night out of the hospital, now do we?"  
  
"I suppose so." Miki said, solemnly. "I'm feeling better   
now, anyway."  
  
"That's good." Ikuko rubbed Miki's back, gently, and looked  
up at the dresser that sat opposite the bed. For some unknown   
reason, her curiosity about what lay inside grew, and she stood   
from the bed. Miki stepped aside, watching her strangely.  
  
"What is it, Ikuko-mama?" Miki frowned as Ikuko placed her   
hand against the groove of the dresser's sliding door.  
  
"I don't know.... There's something...." She slid the door  
open, and stood back in surprise. Miki gasped.  
  
"A.... A painting...." Miki clasped onto Ikuko's hip. "Is  
that REALLY Usagi-oneechan and her boyfriend?"  
  
  
Ikuko had a hand placed over her mouth as she stared at the  
painting, that sat upon a shelf within the dresser. She looked down  
at the name of the artist in the bottom corner. "Yumeno? Yumeno   
Yumeni? My daughter posed for a picture by Yumeno Yumeni?"  
  
  
Before her stood the painting, of Usagi and Mamoru, as a   
Princess and her Prince....  
  
  
END OF PART 7  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
I think I should mention that the "Saori-chan" mentioned in this   
chapter is a character from the YUA series, not the Saori of SM....  
In the manga, Saori was the girl who stepped onto the road in front  
of the Mini-Pat in the hope of committing suicide, so her beauty   
would be preserved forever in death.... In the anime, she was   
almost run over by Oushou's red mini, after she ran onto the road  
to collect her mobile phone, which had twirled off her finger....  
It was Oushou, who had taken Saori back to his shrine to recover,  
after she had passed out from the shock of seeing the red mini   
bearing down upon her, who introduced her to Natsumi and Miyuki....  
  
My knowledge of "You're Under Arrest", or "Taiho Shichauzo" is about  
as good as someone with 34 unsubtitled episodes could be, with only  
the barest smattering of Japanese in their vocabulary.... It is a   
good thing that the plots for the episodes aren't all that complex.   
^_^;;  
  
One apologises for the time this chapter has taken in writing....   
Several things have conspired against my working on this chapter,   
mostly involving my car, which has broken down three times in as   
many weeks (major breakdowns, too.... snapped timing belts, shafted   
starter motors etc etc etc). Then, after having fixed all these   
things, the car was promptly stolen.... -_- It was recovered a   
week later, without much damage, however....  
  
Well, one can say I haven't been having a fun time, lately. Any   
moment, now, I expect the sky to fall on my head. ^_^;;  
  
JTW  
  
nIGHT rIDER ikari@wantree.net.au  
  
Member of the AJAS Fanfic Circle 


	8. Not a God 08: Laying Down the Law

Title: Not a God Part 8 (Version 1.0)  
Author: nIGHT rIDER  
Email: ikari@wantree.net.au  
Rating: G  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
I apologise for the lateness of this fic. My computer decided  
to go bottom-up, recently.... So much so that it really isn't worth  
emailing me until I sort everything out.... I apologise to all   
those who have been trying to contact me, and I'll get to you when   
I'm back online.  
  
Until then, please send responses through my partner in crime,  
DDFA, at darkdayforanime@hotmail.com. I'm sure he'll know what to   
do with the responses. Actually, knowing Mark as I do, that's what  
worries me the most. Maybe sending them to him is not such a good  
idea..... ^_^;;  
  
Jim Woolford (nIGHT rIDER)  
  
  
  
Hehehe.... Fresh victims for the ever-growing army of the undead.  
  
Mark ^_^  
  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
"We really should be getting home and getting you into a nice,  
warm bed." Ikuko sat on the edge of the bed and reached over to   
Miki. The girl stepped into her arms, allowing her to be guided up  
to her, pressing into Ikuko's chest.  
  
"Aww.... I don't want to go to bed just yet.... I still   
wanna see a few things." Miki screwed up her face, looking up at   
Ikuko who was smiling down at her, kindly.  
  
"Now now now.... We don't want to get you sick on your first  
night out of the hospital, now do we?"  
  
"I suppose so." Miki said, solemnly. "I'm feeling better   
now, anyway."  
  
"That's good." Ikuko rubbed Miki's back, gently, and looked  
up at the dresser that sat opposite the bed. For some unknown   
reason, her curiosity about what lay inside grew, and she stood   
from the bed. Miki stepped aside, watching her strangely.  
  
"What is it, Ikuko-mama?" Miki frowned as Ikuko placed her   
hand against the groove of the dresser's sliding door.  
  
"I don't know.... There's something...." She slid the door  
open, and stood back in surprise. Miki gasped.  
  
"A.... A painting...." Miki clasped onto Ikuko's hip. "Is  
that REALLY Usagi-oneechan and her boyfriend?"  
  
  
Ikuko had a hand placed over her mouth as she stared at the  
painting, that sat upon a shelf within the dresser. She looked down  
at the name of the artist in the bottom corner. "Yumeno? Yumeno   
Yumeni? My daughter posed for a picture by Yumeno Yumeni?"  
  
  
Before her stood the painting, of Usagi and Mamoru, as a   
Princess and her Prince....  
  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
BISHOUJO SENSHI SAILORMOON / TAIHO SHICHAUZO  
NOT A GOD  
by nIGHT rIDER (Assistance by DDFA)  
  
Disclaimer - all characters pertaining to the series Bishoujo Senshi  
Sailormoon and Taiho Shichauzo are owned by Takeuchi Naoko,   
Fujishima Kosuke, Bandai, TBS, and Kodansya. All other characters   
were thought up by me. Well, its true, isn't it?  
  
Chapter 8  
Laying Down the Law  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
From the Personal Journal of Neo-Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
  
Pluto has been known to do some very strange things in her   
self-appointed position of senshi watchdog. Sometimes, she exceeds  
her duties, and just as often does things that seem strangely out of  
character for her. Not that she really lets anyone know her true   
character.... She is as intangible as mist, and far less   
predictable.  
  
And I suppose she prefers it that way. I could never exist  
within that strange, ethereal coldness she feigns.... The   
loneliness would send me mad, or kill me, whatever came first.  
  
----o  
  
"Would you girls be so kind to answer me something?" Setsuna   
asked as she watched Jupiter lay Arimus down on the lounge suite.   
She turned to the other three, who were standing around, looking   
both sheepish and foolish, and for good reason. "What WERE you   
thinking when you made the decision to catch a taxi, dressed as you  
are, in your senshi form? It is an OPEN invitation, to ANYONE who   
may consider us their enemy, to track you down and either kill you  
outright, or use someone you care about to get at you.... It is   
pure stupidity."  
  
Mars swallowed, obviously stung by Setsuna's words. "We   
didn't see we had any alternative at the time.... What were we   
supposed to do? Sailor Teleport our way out of there?"  
  
Mercury meekly backed her up. "Arimus is a Youma. We might  
have caused her harm, using our powers, in whatever capacity...."  
  
"Yes yes yes.... You can give me your excuses, later."   
Setsuna waved at them, archly. "Or to the Princess. I'm quite sure  
she'd find this little escapade amusing, to say the least."  
  
"Yeah, sure." Mars stepped up to Setsuna, angrily. Her fists  
were clenched with tension, and she was up on her toes, trying to   
stare the taller woman down, something she knew she was destined to  
fail. "You say what WE did was risky.... What WE did would be of  
some amusement to Usagi.... What about what SHE did, hey?"  
  
"What about it?" Setsuna stared down her nose at the fire   
senshi. "What about what she did?"  
  
"She risked everything.... She risked destiny by running into  
that house to save the girl, Miki-chan.... She risked her life, and  
that of the future of Crystal Tokyo.... If the roof had collapsed   
in on her, or something like that, she could have been killed. And   
the fact that she came close to blinding herself.... The future   
might already have been changed. The doctors say her sight will   
return, but what if it doesn't, hmm?" Mars held a fist up to   
Setsuna's face. "And you say what WE did was risky? What we did   
was nothing. NOTHING, I tell you...."  
  
"The Princess did nothing wrong." Setsuna smiled. "Don't you  
have any faith in her judgement?" Mars's expression changed,   
dropping from an angry sneer to an almost comical sense of  
bewilderment.  
  
"Of course... I have faith... in her judgement... She's...   
the Princess, after all... But..."  
  
"But nothing. She showed decisive action at that moment.   
And, as it shall turn out, a necessary act." Setsuna turned away   
from Mars, who was now scratching her head, and walked over to   
Jupiter's side. The thunder senshi was placing a pillow behind  
Arimus's head as the Youma shivered, looking decidedly pale.   
Jupiter turned to Setsuna.  
  
"Her complexion... It's almost as if she's being eaten away  
from the inside out." She placed a hand on Arimus's forehead. "And  
she's so cold.... Is this natural for a Youma?"  
  
Setsuna's expression was unemotional. "I would say not. The   
natural body temperature of a Youma is no different to that of a   
normal human. They are, however, not natural beings. They are a  
form of artificial life, created from biological materials, animated  
by the infusion of life energy." She shrugged. "An animated   
cadaver, if you will. They have no spirit of their own, merely the  
spirit of the one who created them. When that person dies, they   
gain a fragment of that spirit, and it becomes their own. Some   
never evolve any further than the puppets they truly are."  
  
"It's sad." Jupiter ran her fingers along the Youma's brow.  
"It's like being made to live to perform a simple task, then to be  
discarded when you are no longer needed."  
  
"That assessment is not far from the truth. Only a small   
handful ever achieve a will of their own. This one appears to have  
done so, but at a great cost." Setsuna crossed her arms. "Which   
leaves us with a difficult decision. Shall we, or shall we not,   
save her?"  
  
"That would mean feeding her life energy." Venus rubbed her  
hands together, nervously. "We can't do that.... We spent so much  
of our efforts stopping them from taking life energy...."  
  
"Who said we had to give her anybody else's life energy?"   
Jupiter took a breath. "Our own should suffice. Isn't that right,  
Pluto?" She looked up at the elder senshi. The woman did not say   
anything, but that was more than enough of an answer for her.  
  
"OUR ENERGY?" Mars was jumping up and down on her feet. "You  
have to be KIDDING! In her state, she'd probably drain us dry...."  
  
"Not necessarily." Mercury pointed out. "Our lifeforce is   
somewhat more substantial than that of ordinary people. We'd be   
able to feed her enough to keep her alive, without actually taking  
too much from ourselves."  
  
"It would be risky, I know.... It might mean we aren't able   
to use our senshi powers for a few days." Jupiter added.  
  
"For a few days, yes.... But in a few days, she's going to be  
hungry again. We can't just keep feeding her. We'll be functional  
basket cases, unable to do anything." Mars shook her head. "I knew  
this was a bad idea. I TOLD you it would be a bad idea."  
  
"Yes, you did. But we've learnt not to listen to your helpful  
suggestions over time." Jupiter sighed. "Most of them, anyway."  
  
"You looking for a fight?" Mars growled. Jupiter shook her   
head and waved her away.  
  
"Oh, stop being so difficult. If Usagi was here, now, she'd  
be terribly embarrassed at your behaviour." Jupiter stood up and   
strode over to her phone. "We should get in contact with her about  
this."  
  
"She'd be very worried about us. After all, we did contact   
her over this emergency." Mercury said softly, latching onto the  
suggestion with her 'voice of reason' attitude. Mars turned to look  
at her, mouth open as if to shout something, then paused and   
continued, softer and with more calculation.  
  
"Yes, we can tell her we've brought her a nice Youma for her  
birthday, and are thinking of feeding it. The problem is, what do   
we really want to keep it alive for? To draw all the information   
she has, then let her die?" Mars licked her lips for a second,   
thinking over her words. The others seemed slightly stung at the  
suggestion.  
  
"She hasn't attacked us, she isn't a threat to anyone, and she  
says she wants to help us.... Isn't that a good enough reason?"   
Venus threw out her hands.  
  
"No, not really." Setsuna interjected. Before anyone could   
question why she was agreeing with Mars's sentiments, she continued.  
"She is absolutely right when she says all we really have to do is  
use this creature for our own ends. But what would that make us?"  
  
"No better than those whom we oppose." Venus placed her hands  
on her hips. "Personally, I think we should take things with Arimus  
a step at a time.... We haven't even agreed where we are going to   
keep her. She can't stay here, in Makoto's apartment, forever."  
  
Jupiter snorted. "Yeah, lets keep her on a time share basis."  
Venus stuck her tongue out at Jupiter. Setsuna rolled her eyes and  
gestured to Mercury.  
  
"Make contact with the Princess, will you? Theres a good   
senshi...."  
  
----o  
  
From the Personal Journal of Neo-Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
  
She allows herself to take over, all to often, because she   
knows things we don't know. It has made me wonder who is really in  
control. And then she'll ruin it all by sacrificing (or as near as  
possible) herself for the good of others. Of course, if she does   
allow herself to die, it's probably because she expects to be   
brought back, or is rampantly suicidal. probably a mixture of both.  
It would be hard to maintain one's sanity if one were to live   
throughout history, alone, as she had.  
  
  
As Pluto was running things within Makoto's apartment, and I  
was busy trying to explain to Mama about the painting of Mamoru and  
myself, there were a pair of policewomen, that I was yet to meet,   
trudging home after a long day of work. They were about to get a   
nasty surprise, involving an aspect of myself... One I didn't know  
existed....  
  
----o  
  
"I don't want to hear it." Natsumi strode through the doors   
of the apartment building, hands folded behind her head. Miyuki  
sighed, following her thought with a couple of shopping bags in her  
hands.  
  
"I know you might be slightly miffed about nobody telling you  
that you'd forgotten to put your pants on before leaving the   
changerooms.... Its still no excuse for not helping me with the  
shopping." Miyuki stuck her tongue out. "Biiiiiida!"  
  
"Don't biiida me. I'll never be able to live that down. I   
bet the guys in security have made a dozen copies from the camera   
pictures, already. I'd expect it from those perverted little   
bastards after the massage parlour girls fiasco." Natsumi stepped  
up to the lift at the far end of the small lobby and lifted up her  
foot, pressing the 'up' button with the end of her foot. "I hear  
Nakajima got himself a copy of that one."  
  
"WHAT!?!?!" Miyuki nearly dropped the groceries. Natsumi  
turned to her, grinning like a cheshire cat.  
  
"Niii! Just kidding. Maybe." Natsumi sniffed and turned  
back to the doors of the lift. "What's taking this damn thing so  
long to get here?"  
  
"Patience, Natsumi, patience." Miyuki heaved the bags a   
couple of times, feeling the straps digging into the palms of her  
hands. "Could you, at the very least, help me with one of these?  
My hands are getting sore...."  
  
At that point, the lift doors opened, and they came face to  
face.... well, not literally face to face, since he was a great deal  
taller than the both of them, but enough of a face to face for it to  
qualify as such, with Aoi, who wore a very worried expression,   
changing to relieved surprise when he saw the pair of them.  
  
"You two! Where have you been?"  
  
"Aoi! Where did you get that dress?" Natsumi looked down at  
the long, floral frock he was wearing. He blinked for a second and  
followed her gaze.  
  
"Oh this? It's just a little thing I picked up at Masune's a  
couple of weeks ago? Why do you ask?"  
  
"It suits you. it also must have been nightmarishly   
expensive. Why are all of your clothes better than ours?" She   
stepped into the lift with him, followed by Miyuki, who was giving  
her best impression of a martyr.  
  
"That's not the point, Natsumi." Miyuki growled at her   
partner, then turned to Aoi, flashing a sweet smile. "What brings   
you to our part of the world?"  
  
"Well, the Chief was kinda looking for you... A bit late,   
since the pair of you had already left...." Aoi pressed the button   
for the floor of their apartment, and was silent as he watched the  
doors close. "...So... He kinda picked on Yoriko and I. Since   
then, we've been standing outside the door to your apartment, with  
all the files on that girl Lord Enma wants you to take care of."  
  
"Files?" Natsumi scratched her head. "Couldn't you have   
slipped them under the door, rather than wait for us to get back   
from the shops?"  
  
Aoi sweatdropped. "You're kidding me, right?"  
  
"Ano...." Miyuki swallowed, a bad feeling coming over her.  
"Just how many files are there on this girl?"  
  
"Oh, honestly, Miyuki.... You don't think the Chief would   
have sent BOTH Yoriko and myself if there'd been just a couple, do  
you?"  
  
They felt the lift come to a dead stop, and the doors opened.  
In front of the door to their apartment stood two large piles of   
boxes, with Yoriko making a heroic attempt to hold the both of them  
from falling, her glasses hanging off her nose at a strange angle.  
"Natsumi! Miyuki! Tasukete!" She said in a warbled distress.  
  
Natsumi fainted.  
  
----o  
  
"Usagi...." Ikuko turned to the doorway as Miki stared at the  
painting, wide-eyed and open-mouthed.  
  
"What is it?" Usagi responded, somewhere in another part of   
the apartment. Ikuko took a breath.  
  
"Usagi, can you come here for a moment?" Ikuko crossed her   
arms. For some reason, she felt annoyed, in a way she couldn't   
quite explain. Seeing the painting of her daughter, dressed in such  
ethereal robes, in such an ethereal setting, with the man she knew   
to be Mamoru by her side....  
  
"What? What is it?" Usagi tromped up to the doorway, holding  
onto a small dishcloth that she'd been using to wipe dust off   
Mamoru's kitchen bench. In seconds, she assessed the situation and  
allowed her sunglasses to fall over her eyes, pretending she   
couldn't quite see what it was that Ikuko was worried about. "Gee,   
is the light in here bright, or is it my imagination?"  
  
"Usagi.... Would you mind coming over here for a moment."   
Ikuko was pointing at the dresser. "There is something I would like  
you to see."  
  
"Ah, well, my eyes aren't to good at the moment...."  
  
"USAGI!" Ikuko leveled her gaze at her daughter. Usagi's   
head hung low as she wandered into the room, glancing aside at the   
painting.  
  
"Yes... Mama?" Ikuko looked down at her, imperiously.  
  
"Would you mind explaining why there is a painting of yourself  
and your Mamoru sitting in his bedroom dresser.... By Yumeno-san,   
of all artists?"  
  
"Kakkoi...." Miki stepped up to the dresser and reached   
forward, touching the painting. "This is sooo cool. Can we take it  
back to your house with us, Ikuko-mama?" She turned and looked up   
at Ikuko hopefully. It was a good distraction for Usagi to attempt   
to rattle off an explanation.  
  
"WellyouseeMama, thiswaswhenwemetYumenosanandshewantedtodoa  
paintingofaprinceandaprincessandshethoughtwe'dbegoodenoughandshetold  
usnottoshowittoanybodyuntilafterweweremarriedandallthatandsoithas  
beenhidinghereinMamochan'sapartmenteversince." Usagi sweated as   
both Ikuko and Miki stared at her, looking totally nonplussed.  
  
"Can we take it home anyway?" Miki turned back to Ikuko, who  
had closed her eyes, thinking deeply.  
  
"So, Usagi...." Ikuko began. "You're trying to tell me that  
Yumeno-san thought both Mamoru and yourself would make good subjects  
for a painting of this nature.... Yet she willingly chose to give   
it to you, rather than sell it for some profit?"  
  
"Wellwedidposeforotherpaintings...." Usagi warbled.  
  
"You posed for OTHER painting?" Ikuko's eyes opened wide.   
"Little lady, I think it is time we had a talk."  
  
"Wellshethoughtwereallylookednicetogetherandall...." Usagi's  
face dropped even further, going red. Ikuko did a double take for a  
second, realising how embarrassed her daughter was feeling.  
  
"You don't have to get all worked up about it, Usagi.... I   
just want you to... tell me the full story. What was the REAL   
reason both you and Mamoru hid the painting from us?"  
  
"Papa..." Usagi's voice was so soft it was almost a whisper.  
Ikuko's mouth opened in a silent 'ooohh' as she nodded in   
understanding. Miki looked between Usagi and Ikuko.  
  
"What is it about your Papa?" Miki stared at Usagi with wide,  
innocent eyes. Usagi turned to her and lifted her sunglasses,   
kneeling down to her level.  
  
"It's nothing you should really worry about, Miki-chan. Papa  
just... is very protective. He wants to see his daughter have a   
happy life."  
  
"Why? Aren't you happy with your boyfriend?" Usagi winced as  
those words came out.... Too visibly, as Miki realised she'd said   
the wrong thing and put a hand to her mouth, looking a little upset.  
Ikuko knelt down, taking over from here.  
  
"Miki-chan.... Kenji-papa is.... He doesn't think Usagi is   
old enough to have a boyfriend, yet." Ikuko blew up her cheeks,   
huffing. "He'd probably rather she become an old maid first before   
she even looked at a boy.... He can be SOOOOO insensitive,   
sometimes. And after all we did when we were young.... He can   
complain...."  
  
"Did what?" Usagi boggled her eyes at Ikuko.  
  
"I thought you said it was too bright for you in here." Ikuko  
sweatdropped, trying to change the topic, quickly.  
  
----o  
  
From the Personal Journal of Neo-Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
  
And so it went on.... The unfortunate thing was that the   
conversation proceeded to become a verbal tennis match between Mama   
and myself.... Mostly Mama trying not to give away anything about  
her past with Papa. Miki was quite.... fascinated, for want of a   
better term, never having experienced such interpersonal dynamics  
between herself and her own mother. In fact, she spent much of the  
time playing referee between the pair of us.  
  
Of course, the upshot of it all is that Mama and I agreed that  
the painting should remain in Mamoru's apartment, much to Miki's   
disappointment.  
  
As Mama closed the dresser, Miki was staring at the painting,  
an almost hypnotic expression on her face. I didn't really think   
much of it at the time.... I should have taken more notice. I   
really should have....  
  
----o  
  
After some effort, the four off-duty policewomen had managed   
to cart all of the boxes through into the loungeroom of Natsumi and   
Miyuki's apartment. This was followed by four off duty policewomen   
collapsing over various armchairs and lounge suites in patent   
exhaustion.  
  
"Just how much is there on this girl?" Natsumi huffed as  
she removed her jacket, trying to fan herself with a hand. "How  
can someone produce so much paperwork in the space of as few years  
as she has?"  
  
"Must have been an interesting life she's lead." Miyuki   
considered one of the boxes, sitting in front of her. "It does lead  
to one very major problem."  
  
"What is that?" Natsumi frowned. Miyuki sighed and looked up  
from the box.  
  
"Where do we start?"  
  
"Well, why don't we open a box and find out?" Yoriko sat   
forward in her seat and dragged the box Miyuki was considering   
towards her. She lifted the lid from the top of the box and peered   
in. "Hmm, a fair few files in here."  
  
"Are they labeled?" Miyuki rubbed her chin.  
  
"These seem to be from the school counsellor.... Several   
school counselors, in fact, dating back to pre-school, of all   
things."  
  
"Yes, she DID lead an interesting life, didn't she?" Natsumi  
leaned her head back and stared at the ceiling, sighing to herself.  
  
Yoriko reached in and lifted out one of the files, opening it.  
After a couple of seconds of studying the photographs in the file,   
she elicited the expected response. "Oh WOW! This guy is a HUNK!"  
Before she knew it, there were three other noses pressing for space  
within the file.  
  
"Who is this?" Aoi frowned. "What does he have to do with   
this Tsukino girl?"  
  
"It's her boyfriend.... One Chiba Mamoru." Yoriko tapped a  
finger on the paperwork at the bottom of the photograph. "According  
to this...." She started reading, then lifted up her head.   
"According to this, there was some concern by the school authorities  
in a girl of her age having a relationship with someone several   
years older."  
  
"How much older?" Aoi looked hopeful, staring at the   
photograph of Mamoru. Natsumi gave Aoi a dubious look.  
  
"Why don't you just ask for his blood group and star sign   
while you're at it, Aoi-chan? You're drooling all over the folder."  
Aoi stood up, putting a hand to his mouth in embarrassment.  
  
"Oh, I'm so terribly sorry. Was it that obvious?"  
  
The three nodded at him. "I'm sorry to say, Aoi, that I am   
VERY certain this Chiba person shall not change his mind about his  
choice of partner, no matter how hard you try." Natsumi stood up,  
looking smug.  
  
"What makes you think that?" Aoi huffed. "After all, I AM  
better looking than the three of you." He crossed his arms and   
started to sulk.  
  
"Has a high opinion of himself." Natsumi growled as she   
leaned back over Yoriko's shoulder. "Pity he is. Damn my genes."  
  
"So, what was it that worried the counsellor about this   
relationship? There is no mention in any of this paperwork that he  
mistreated her at any stage." Miyuki had pulled some of the papers  
out and was rifling through them. "Just the opposite, in fact.   
There have been occasions where he has placed his own reputation on  
the line for her."  
  
"Hey, this scholastic report looks like mine." Natsumi   
pointed at the lines in the report she was reading. "Damn, I   
like this girl, already. Who says learning anything at school is of  
any benefit? I wonder what she is like at eating? I need a   
challenge in the lunchtime guzzlers contest."  
  
  
END OF PART 8  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Next Chapter.... "Little Pieces of a Life"  
  
nIGHT rIDER  
  
Member of the AJAS Fanfic Circle 


	9. Not a God 09: A Little Piece of Life

Title: Not a God Part 9 (Version 1.0)  
Author: nIGHT rIDER  
Email: ikari@wantree.net.au  
Rating: G  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
Yoriko reached in and lifted out one of the files, opening it.  
After a couple of seconds of studying the photographs in the file,   
she elicited the expected response. "Oh WOW! This guy is a HUNK!"  
Before she knew it, there were three other noses pressing for space  
within the file.  
  
"Who is this?" Aoi frowned. "What does he have to do with   
this Tsukino girl?"  
  
"It's her boyfriend.... One Chiba Mamoru." Yoriko tapped a  
finger on the paperwork at the bottom of the photograph. "According  
to this...." She started reading, then lifted up her head.   
"According to this, there was some concern by the school authorities  
in a girl of her age having a relationship with someone several   
years older."  
  
"How much older?" Aoi looked hopeful, staring at the   
photograph of Mamoru. Natsumi gave Aoi a dubious look.  
  
"Why don't you just ask for his blood group and star sign   
while you're at it, Aoi-chan? You're drooling all over the folder."  
Aoi stood up, putting a hand to his mouth in embarrassment.  
  
"Oh, I'm so terribly sorry. Was it that obvious?"  
  
The three nodded at him. "I'm sorry to say, Aoi, that I am   
VERY certain this Chiba person shall not change his mind about his  
choice of partner, no matter how hard you try." Natsumi stood up,  
looking smug.  
  
"What makes you think that?" Aoi huffed. "After all, I AM  
better looking than the three of you." He crossed his arms and   
started to sulk.  
  
"Has a high opinion of himself." Natsumi growled as she   
leaned back over Yoriko's shoulder. "Pity he is. Damn my genes."  
  
"So, what was it that worried the counsellor about this   
relationship? There is no mention in any of this paperwork that he  
mistreated her at any stage." Miyuki had pulled some of the papers  
out and was rifling through them. "Just the opposite, in fact.   
There have been occasions where he has placed his own reputation on  
the line for her."  
  
"Hey, this scholastic report looks like mine." Natsumi   
pointed at the lines in the report she was reading. "Damn, I   
like this girl, already. Who says learning anything at school is of  
any benefit? I wonder what she is like at eating? I need a   
challenge in the lunchtime guzzlers contest."  
  
"I don't think she has a chance." Miyuki looked at Natsumi  
dubiously.  
  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
BISHOUJO SENSHI SAILORMOON / TAIHO SHICHAUZO  
NOT A GOD  
by nIGHT rIDER (Assistance by DDFA)  
  
Disclaimer - all characters pertaining to the series Bishoujo Senshi  
Sailormoon and Taiho Shichauzo are owned by Takeuchi Naoko,   
Fujishima Kosuke, Bandai, TBS, and Kodansya. All other characters   
were thought up by me. Well, its true, isn't it?  
  
Chapter 9  
Little Pieces of a Life  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
"I really don't think it was a good idea to leave Makoto on   
her own with Arimus...." Rei huffed, hunched over with hands in her  
pockets as she, Ami and Minako wandered away from Makoto's apartment  
block. "No matter what Setsuna-san says."  
  
"It doesn't really matter much now, does it?" Minako patted  
Rei on her back. "Anyways, Setsuna will get in touch with Usagi and  
tell her what happened."  
  
"Why isn't that baka at home yet?" Rei huffed again.   
"Someone who is supposed to be so damned sick at the moment   
shouldn't be gallivanting about at this time of the night. I'll   
whip her ass the next time I see her."  
  
"Well, look at it this way.... Can you imagine what Usagi   
will think when Setsuna arrives?" Minako giggled. "The very worst,  
I can tell you." Rei raised her head, an evil smile on her face.   
Ami sighed, putting a hand to her forehead.  
  
"Honestly, the pair of you can be so sadistic, sometimes."  
  
"And we do it so well." Rei chuckled.  
  
"Mou...." Ami crossed her arms, closing her eyes, trying to  
contain her temper, which is what she was doing when she collided   
with the large man who had come running around the street corner.   
Ami fell on her rump, letting out a yelp of surprise as Rei and   
Minako cringed.  
  
"Hey, why don't ya look where ya goin', bitch." The large  
man pointed down at Ami. Rei looked up at him, angrily.  
  
"What did you call her, you bas...." She made a double-take  
when she saw him.... As ugly as he was, there was no doubt the man  
was some kind of cheap gangster.... His face was scarred and   
misshapen, with most of his hair shaved off.... He wore a garishly  
coloured Hawaiian shirt with the top two button undone, showing a   
full thatch of chest hairs, and his arms were covered in tattoos,   
the most alarming of which was the storm of sakura that could be   
seen poking out from underneath both sleeves.  
  
"Hmm, you got something to say, jo-chan?" The man lowered his  
face into Rei's as Minako stood behind her, trying her best not to  
be seen. "Girls like you should be careful who you might run into,  
walking the streets at this time of the night. Course, we know what  
kind of girls frequent the streets at this time of the night, don't  
we?" He sneered in her face, reaching forward and grabbing the   
collar of her jacket.  
  
This was like a red rag to a bull for Rei. Just as she was  
about to perform the nutcracker on the guy, however, they could hear  
laughter.... Deep laughter, echoing throughout the street. The   
gangster let go of Rei, sweatdropping. "Oh shit.... Not HIM."  
  
The gangster made to run, but he didn't get very far, as he  
was struck over the head with a baseball, flying out of nowhere at  
great speed. The gangster sprawled over the sidewalk, seeing stars.  
  
The three girls stared at the gangster, then turned as the   
laughter started again. Standing on the top of a nearby lightpole   
was the figure of a man in a masked superhero costume, with the word  
"STRIKE" emblazoned on the front. The man crossed his arms, both  
covered with heavy-looking, metallic forearm protectors, and looked  
down at the girls. "No need to fear, little girls. The Great Hero  
of Justice is watching over you."  
  
"Who.... Who are you?" Minako managed to burble out. The   
man started to laugh again, so much so that the three girls started  
to sweatdrop, nervously, convinced that they'd just been rescued by  
a nutcase.  
  
"You pretend not to know of the great STRIKEMAN? Well, I   
suppose there are a few still in this world who have not heard my  
great and honored name."  
  
"Thinks a lot of himself, doesn't he?" Minako whispered to  
Ami as she helped her from the ground.  
  
Strikeman produced another baseball, from the dimension where  
superheroes keep their important items, and began to scribble on it  
with a pen. He then tossed the ball to Rei. She caught it and   
stared at it with confusion. "A gift." Strikeman grinned widely.  
"Remember, young girls, to keep the fire of justice in your hearts.  
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" And with a flourish of his cape, he leapt   
from the lightpole and disappeared into the night sky, leaving the  
girls none the wiser.  
  
"What a strange, eccentric man." Ami rubbed her sore nose.   
"What did he write on the ball?"  
  
"His autograph." Rei sighed. "His writing is terrible. Even  
I was better than this in pre-school." She held the ball up for Ami  
and Minako to see.  
  
"Yes, you are quite correct." Ami nodded. "Even Usagi's   
handwriting is better than this."  
  
"So.... What do we do about...." Minako gestured to the   
gangster who appeared set to be off with the birdies for quite a   
long time. Beside him sat the ball that struck him, with a note   
attached.... "Judged guilty by Strikeman." The trio sweatdropped.  
  
"I say we leave and pretend this never happened." Rei cleared  
her throat. The other two nodded in agreement, and they slunk away.  
  
----o  
  
"She's come close to failing almost every subject she's ever  
studied at school." Miyuki sighed, putting down the file. "You're  
right, her academic record is a lot like yours." Natsumi stuck her  
tongue out at her partner.  
  
"No need to dwell on the subject." Natsumi lay back, her face  
covered with another file. "This one says she's getting better.   
With time, she might prove to be as intelligent as you."  
  
Miyuki smiled. "Is that a compliment for her, or an insult   
for me? And how can you read it with it plastered all over your   
face like that?"  
  
"I have good eyesight." Natsumi said, disinterestedly. "Why  
do we have to read all this, anyway?"  
  
"You know why." Yoriko swatted the top of the file on   
Natsumi's face with a rolled-up school publication. Natsumi let out  
a small cry and sat up quickly, the file flying across the room.  
  
"Oi, that hurt."  
  
"You deserved it." Yoriko grinned at Miyuki, who smiled back.  
  
"Oohhh.... Mamoru-saaaan." They all turned with dubious   
expressions as Aoi drooled over another photograph of Mamoru. He   
looked up at them, then put a hand behind his head, giggling   
nervously. "Ah, just studying for future reference, that's all."   
He quickly hid his face behind the folder.  
  
"Gonna be trouble if we let Aoi-chan and this girl's man   
meet." Yoriko whispered to the other two.  
  
"More like if someone lets on Aoi is interested in him to   
her." Natsumi prodded Yoriko in the chest. "And I know someone   
perfect for the job."  
  
"Oi oi oi...." Yoriko put her hands up. "Don't look at me.  
I don't tell everyone in the station everything I know."  
  
"And just how much do you know about what goes on in the   
station, hmm?" Natsumi leaned forward, grinning evilly. Yoriko  
waved her away, nervously.  
  
"Oh Natsumi, you're such a teaser."  
  
Natsumi turned to Miyuki. "She thinks I'm joking."  
  
"In these cases, you usually are." Miyuki looked away,   
smiling as she nonchalantly flicked through the school publication  
that Yoriko had put down. "I wonder why this is in here.... It's  
got absolutely nothing to do with the girl."  
  
"What is it?" Natsumi choosing to ignore Miyuki's previous  
comment, sat back in her chair, arms crossed.  
  
"It's a student publication.... A selection of short stories  
and poems.... Wait a minute...." Miyuki stopped at one of the   
pages. "Here. It's a short piece of prose the Tsukino girl has  
written." Miyuki started to read through the piece. "Something  
about a dream the girl had, of being a Princess in the dim distant  
past...."  
  
"Oh barf." Natsumi waved at Miyuki, dismissively. "I hope  
she's beyond that kind of crap. How long ago did she write it?"  
  
"When she was nine or ten.... It's not all that badly   
written, actually.... The prose and form are fairly primitive,  
but the spelling, the punctuation, are all sound."  
  
"They probably edited it before the publication. Seeing  
this girl's record, I doubt it appeared in its original form."  
Natsumi shrugged. "They probably needed a translator as well....  
She probably speaks a version of Japanese known to nobody else on  
the face of the planet."  
  
"Don't be so cruel." Miyuki shot Natsumi a look, which her  
partner missed entirely. "If they DID edit this, then the original  
HAD to have been good, because the others in here are pretty damn  
childish. There is a complex discriptiveness within this short   
piece that almost makes me believe she actually visited this place."  
  
"Yes, I'm sure a lot of young girls could bring themselves to  
believe their own fantasies. I did, too.... at that age." Natsumi  
waved a finger in the air. "I wanted to be the first female World  
500cc Grand Prix champion." Natsumi sat up. "I had myself a mini-  
motorbike at the age of 9, custom made for my size and physical   
build. It was only a 50cc Honda, but I could still beat my old man  
around the block with him on his Kawasaki 750.... Course, he wasn't   
trying all that hard, but it really made me believe I could be   
really great when I grew up...."  
  
"So what happened?" Yoriko had her notebook out. Natsumi   
looked daggers at her, and it immediately disappeared.  
  
"They wouldn't let girls participate in the local district  
competition.... Despite the fact that, when I DID have an   
opportunity to ride some of the circuits, I was close to five   
seconds faster a lap than any of the boys my age...." Natsumi's  
expression dropped with her mood as she stared, distantly, then  
shrugged and smiled. "I guess they missed their opportunity, those  
officials, the team bosses, the advertisers and all.... A girl   
whipping the asses off all the boys would have made a great   
publicity vehicle for the sport. I have the satisfaction of KNOWING  
I was better."  
  
"But not the kudos to prove it." Miyuki looked at Natsumi,   
sympathetically.  
  
"Not really...." Natsumi grinned. "A large number of the   
motorcycle runners I've booked were those I would have raced   
against. What life gives, life can take away."  
  
  
"Awwww.... He's out of the country...." Aoi butted in,   
dropping the file beside him. "It's soooo unfair. Why are all the  
good-looking guys taken?"  
  
"Aoi-chan...." Miyuki muttered, sweatdropping.  
  
"So, apart from being terrible at school, having a really good  
looking boyfriend, writing poetry at a young age and rescuing young  
girls from blazing infernos, what do we know about this girl?" Aoi  
crossed both arms behind his head. "I mean, honestly.... We can   
look through files like these until we're red in the face, but it   
still doesn't give one a real feel for her character...."  
  
"Oh, come on...." Natsumi picked up one of the files. "You   
can pretty well gauge the kind of person someone is from their works  
and evaluation. As far as I'm concerned, Tsukino is as clear as   
water. There can't be too many things she has to hide." Natsumi   
looked from Aoi, to Miyuki, to Yoriko, although the bespectacled   
girl now had her head in another one of the files. Natsumi sighed  
and turned from her.  
  
"Though she may not be very bright.... She certainly seems to  
be a fairly open and accepting individual. She's had a lot of   
different friends over the years.... The eye of the storm, socially  
speaking. A calming factor around a lot of people, even if she's a   
mess, personally. That ability to relate well with others will come  
in handy if the Chief Superintendent's plan goes ahead."  
  
"Whatever. I'm thirsty." Natsumi stood from her seat.   
"Anyone want something?" Aoi and Miyuki nodded. Natsumi turned to  
Yoriko. "You?"  
  
"Hmm?" Yoriko peered over the top of the file.  
  
"Do you want a drink?"  
  
"Hmm." Yoriko waved a hand at her, disappearing back behind   
the file. Natsumi shrugged and stepped around her seat, into the   
kitchen.  
  
  
Aoi stretched and lay himself down on the couch, propped up on  
an elbow. "She petitioned to look after the little girl, you know?"  
  
"Hmm?" Miyuki turned to him, distractedly.  
  
"Tsukino-san.... She petitioned the welfare ministry to look  
after the little girl she saved."  
  
"Yes, I know. What about it?"  
  
"I just thought I'd mention it. It just seemed strange that   
she would place herself in such a position of responsibility." Aoi  
played with the fabric of the sofa. "I was raised by my mother from   
a very young age. She was sixteen when I was born.... Good thing   
my Grandparents were well off...." Aoi paused. "They've been   
trying to arrange me with girls ever since I left High School.... I  
don't have the heart to tell them...."  
  
"....The truth?" Miyuki finished his sentence for him. "Why  
not? If they could accept your mother having you at such a young   
age, why not just come out and tell them?"  
  
"Oh for Kami's sake, Miyuki.... I'm supposed to provide them  
with an heir to the family fortune.... Keep the Futaba name alive   
and all that. I don't have any brothers or sisters.... What do I   
do?" Aoi raised his free hand, helplessly.  
  
"Honestly." Miyuki pursed her lips. "I think you worry too   
much. If they don't already know about your.... Well.... if they  
don't already know about it, it would be a miracle."  
  
"I suppose you know what happened with the last Omiai?"  
  
"No. What?"  
  
"My mother had a hand in the selection of the right girl....  
She chose a girl who dressed in men's clothing...."  
  
Drink sprayed across the room as Natsumi, who had chosen that  
moment to walk back in with her arms full of beercans, emptied the  
swig she had just taken. "She did WHAT?" She said, still dribbling  
beer from her chin.  
  
"My mother thought it would be the perfect match for her   
'errant' son...." Aoi sighed. "Unfortunately.... she wasn't   
handsome enough for my tastes."  
  
Natsumi and Miyuki stared at Aoi, dubiously. Aoi looked hurt.  
"Look, she already had a girlfriend, too.... Okay? It wasn't going  
to work even if I DID like her."  
  
"I'm confused." Natsumi wiped her chin. "It's too late in   
the day to try and make me think. Why do I have to be a cop? It   
hurts my brain." Natsumi handed Aoi and Miyuki their drinks, then  
placed Yoriko's next to her, and collapsed back into her chair. "Oh  
the pain, the agony.... What fate lies in store for sad li'l ol'   
me?"  
  
"A punch up the conk, if you aren't careful." Miyuki rubbed   
her head. She then noticed that Yoriko was sniffling. "What's   
wrong, Yoriko? You got a cold, or something?"  
  
"A cold?" Natsumi shifted her seat a foot further away from  
Yoriko. "Don't you start sneezing in here, or anything. Last thing  
I need right now."  
  
  
Yoriko lowered the file, placing it on the coffee table   
between them. Her eyes were red and watery, which she tried to dab  
away with a handkerchief she pulled from her pocket. "I don't have  
a cold. I'm trying not to cry, you fool...."  
  
"Whatever for?" Miyuki enquired. Yoriko pointed to the   
folder. "It's about the Tsukino family.... Or about something that  
happened in Tsukino Usagi's past...." Yoriko sniffled. "It's too   
sad...."  
  
Miyuki picked up the folder Yoriko had left on the table. Aoi  
drew himself up behind Miyuki, with Natsumi sitting on the arm of   
Miyuki's chair. After several minutes of reading, Miyuki sat back,  
letting out a long breath. "Well, now.... This explains a lot....  
Why she was so quick to adopt the girl."  
  
----o  
  
From the Personal Journal of Neo-Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
  
Arriving home was something of a magic moment for us all....   
The very first glimpse that Miki would have of the house she would  
be living in. The first opportunity both my mother and I would have   
to show her around, get used to things. It seems so long ago,   
now.... So much has happened since that moment. So much has   
changed....  
  
But, of course, it also meant introducing Miki to Papa and....  
Shingo. Well, we all have our crosses to bear.  
  
----o  
  
"Waaaai." Miki was up against the window, her small hands  
creating mist, washing upwards towards its top as she pressed   
against its chill surface, trying to catch a glimpse of the Tsukino  
house, lit up like a Christmas tree in welcoming. Kenji and Shingo  
were standing on the front doorstep as Ikuko and the driver alighted  
from the taxi, walking around to the trunk to retrieve Miki's   
suitcase.  
  
"What do you think?" Usagi put her arms around Miki, leaning  
over the girl's shoulder. Miki nuzzled her cheek against Usagi's,  
trying to counter some of the cold she was feeling.  
  
"It.... It's so BIG."  
  
"Well, Papa works for a good company. Houses like this don't  
come cheap in Tokyo." Usagi giggled, nervously.  
  
"Where is your bedroom?" Miki looked up at the top floor.   
"Up there." Usagi nodded.  
  
"Yep. Right at the front, where it's always been. Course, I  
have to share the bathroom with Shingo in the morning and at night,  
but I'm used to the hassle now."  
  
"Shingo...." Miki's voice trailed off. "That's your brother.  
The one standing with your Papa on the front step."  
  
"Yep, that's the little bas.... I mean, yes, that's him."   
Usagi swallowed, doing a double take as Miki giggled, knowing   
EXACTLY what Usagi was going to say.  
  
"He looks gentle." Miki smiled. "He reminds me of somebody  
I knew.... I can't remember where.... Must have been one of my   
preschool friends, before I got sick."  
  
"Did you have many friends in preschool?" Usagi asked softly.  
Miki was quiet for several moments, making Usagi think she'd asked  
the wrong kind of question. Eventually, Miki found voice to answer.  
  
"Yes.... I did have one or two friends. But they became   
sick, like me. After...." Usagi felt a crushing sensation fill her  
as Miki spoke. "After the monster attacked us." Miki's expression  
fell and she started to shiver. Usagi wrapped her arms tightly   
around the girl. "The monster won't come back, will it oneechan?"  
  
"No. No, I think I can say, with some certainty, that it will  
never come back." Even as Usagi said it, she felt it to be a lie.   
And lying was one of the things she didn't want to do with Miki.  
  
She could NEVER be certain that a monster, ANY monster, would  
not attack Miki, or any of her friends and family.... It had   
happened SO many times before, again and again and again, she had  
lost count. To make such a statement seemed to her to be rather   
bold, even if they had spent a great deal of time free of the usual  
monster attacks.  
  
  
Ikuko opened the rear door of the taxi and gestured for Usagi  
and Miki to alight. Miki turned and held onto Usagi as she stood,  
smiling at Kenji, who seemed, despite his nervousness, to be rather  
proud of his daughter's undertaking, and was doing his best to be   
the stern and in-control fatherly figure which he actually wasn't.  
Shingo merely wiped his nose, leading Usagi to suspect that he had a  
lot in store for them when they got inside the house.  
  
The driver placed Miki's suitcase at Kenji's feet, gesturing  
to him with his hat, then walking back to Ikuko, who paid him for  
the ride. "Thanks, Ma'am." He nodded to her. "Must say, you have  
a loverly pair o' daughters, there." Ikuko raised an eyebrow, but  
said nothing as the driver walked over to Usagi and Miki, shaking  
Miki's outstretched hand. "See you later, little lass." He smiled.  
  
"Yah, seeya." Miki giggled. "Thanks for the ride through   
town. It was pretty."  
  
The driver gave her a lopsided grin and whispered to Usagi....  
"Ah kids.... They can find beauty in anything, even a dingy ol'   
town like Tokyo."  
  
"Er, yeah...." Usagi sweatdropped as the driver gave them a  
little wave and got back into his car.  
  
As he drove away, Ikuko put out her hand to the two girls.   
"Well, shall we go in? We don't want the night air getting to Miki,  
do we?" Miki hugged Usagi, tightly, as Usagi nodded, and they   
walked up the front path to begin their new life, together....  
  
  
END OF PART 9  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Next Chapter.... "Teething Problems and Little Brothers"  
  
  
Naito Raida ikari@wantree.net.au  
  
  
Member of the AJAS Fanfic Circle 


	10. Not a God 10: Teething Problems and Litt...

Title: Not a God Part 10 (Version 1.0)  
Author: nIGHT rIDER  
Email: ikari@wantree.net.au  
Rating: G  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
Ikuko opened the rear door of the taxi and gestured for Usagi  
and Miki to alight. Miki turned and held onto Usagi as she stood,  
smiling at Kenji, who seemed, despite his nervousness, to be rather  
proud of his daughter's undertaking, and was doing his best to be   
the stern and in-control fatherly figure which he actually wasn't.  
Shingo merely wiped his nose, leading Usagi to suspect that he had a  
lot in store for them when they got inside the house.  
  
The driver placed Miki's suitcase at Kenji's feet, gesturing  
to him with his hat, then walking back to Ikuko, who paid him for  
the ride. "Thanks, Ma'am." He nodded to her. "Must say, you have  
a loverly pair o' daughters, there." Ikuko raised an eyebrow, but  
said nothing as the driver walked over to Usagi and Miki, shaking  
Miki's outstretched hand. "See you later, little lass." He smiled.  
  
"Yah, seeya." Miki giggled. "Thanks for the ride through   
town. It was pretty."  
  
The driver gave her a lopsided grin and whispered to Usagi....  
"Ah kids.... They can find beauty in anything, even a dingy ol'   
town like Tokyo."  
  
"Er, yeah...." Usagi sweatdropped as the driver gave them a  
little wave and got back into his car.  
  
As he drove away, Ikuko put out her hand to the two girls.   
"Well, shall we go in? We don't want the night air getting to Miki,  
do we?" Miki hugged Usagi, tightly, as Usagi nodded, and they   
walked up the front path to begin their new life, together....  
  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
BISHOUJO SENSHI SAILORMOON / TAIHO SHICHAUZO  
NOT A GOD  
by nIGHT rIDER (Assistance by DDFA)  
  
Disclaimer - all characters pertaining to the series Bishoujo Senshi  
Sailormoon and Taiho Shichauzo are owned by Takeuchi Naoko,   
Fujishima Kosuke, Bandai, TBS, and Kodansya. All other characters   
were thought up by me. Well, its true, isn't it?  
  
Chapter 10  
Teething Problems and Little Brothers  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
From the Personal Journal of Neo Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
  
Pride prevents us all from getting close to each other. Pride   
is also one of the strongest forces for division between whole   
peoples. When we are all trying to protect our pride, we can hurt   
others through misinterpretation and bloody-mindedness.  
  
Its so easy for me to write these words, proving that I   
realise... understand... what it is that has made the relationship  
between Shingo and I so difficult, all these years. I have to   
admit, I've not been the best of sisters. I've been arrogant,   
selfish, self-centered, childish and irresponsible, all in an   
attempt to defend my often wounded pride.  
  
But much of that wounding has come from attacks by Shingo. At  
least, I've perceived them as attacks, because my pride would get in  
the way of seeing any underlying reason for them. He, too, has his   
own pride to protect.... Masculine pride, though it is that of a   
boy rather than a man. Because he is younger than I am, he just HAS  
to feel a sense of inferiority, be it misplaced. As my life pieced  
together from the relative shambles it had been in my younger years,   
progressing and developing in a positive manner, his seemed to stand  
still. The invisible second child.  
  
So, when a third party, younger than himself, comes into the  
picture, he would react in either one of two methods.... Side with  
the interloper on an emotional level (as he had often done with   
Chibiusa... Strange that they seemed to see eye to eye so often,   
considering the similarity between our personalities) or play a   
perceived threat off of them. As soon as we walked up the garden  
path that early evening, I knew which method he was going to take   
with Miki, and it made my heart sink.  
  
  
----o  
  
Ikuko watched them for a while....  
  
Usagi had Miki in her arms, prancing about the house   
excitedly, attempting to show the wide-eyed young girl as much of   
the house as was humanly possible. Miki merely oohed and ahhed as  
she took in her newfound surroundings, so much larger than her old  
house had been, with so many more people living there. Ikuko   
wondered if it might not be a little too much for the girl, having  
spent so much energy over the past couple of days through pure   
excitement alone. But Miki seemed to be coping well with Usagi's   
breathless efforts, and Ikuko left them to their own devices as she  
left to remedy most of the errors Kenji and Shingo had made in   
making dinner.  
  
In the kitchen, Kenji was alone, wearing an apron over his   
business suit, pulling a plate from the oven with mittened hands.   
Ikuko put a hand to her mouth, giggling. "My my, don't you look a  
treat in that." Kenji almost dropped the plate when he heard his  
wife's voice. Catching it at the last moment, he turned and giggled  
inanely.  
  
"Well, I can't well get my work clothes messed up, can I?" He  
put one hand behind his head, holding the plate tenuously in the   
other. Ikuko rolled her eyes as Usagi and Miki went charging past   
the door behind her. Momentarily turning to take a glance at their  
disappearing figures, she frowned.  
  
"Where's Shingo? I thought he was in here with you."  
  
Kenji placed the plate on the benchtop. "He was a second ago.  
Not sure where he's got himself to." He paused. "Come to think of  
it, he seemed rather sullen before you arrived. I wonder if having  
Miki here has made him feel a little put out."  
  
"He's never been that way when Chibiusa has come to visit."   
Ikuko turned back to Kenji, rubbing her chin. "But then, Chibiusa   
was closer to Shingo in age than Miki is."  
  
"That really wouldn't make THAT much of a difference, surely?"  
Kenji scratched his head. "After all, Shingo is pretty used to NOT  
being the center of attention in this family. That's always been   
Usagi's job. He prefers to be kept out of all the arguments and   
fights. Except those he starts." He frowned. "If you know what I  
mean."  
  
----o  
  
In her excitement, Usagi had forgotten Miki's luggage and   
clothing, which remained where it had been placed, in her bedroom,   
looking lost and forlorn until Ikuko decided it was time to remind   
her often-errant daughter of some of her responsibilities. Usagi   
didn't exactly mind, since it gave her some time with Miki, alone.   
Or so she hoped.  
  
Throughout her grand tour, Shingo had been mooning about,   
watching the pair of them with beady little eyes. Usagi didn't like   
it when Shingo put on those beady little eyes, since they invariably  
meant he was planning some form of trouble. Usagi, at the back of   
her mind, was doing her best to watch out for the little traps that   
he tended to lay around the house in the hope of catching her out.   
But there was nothing, not even the little bag of flour that he   
loved to place above her bedroom door. This made her all the more  
suspicious of him.  
  
  
Miki sat on the edge of Usagi's bed, pressing a finger into   
the mattress. "It's.... softer than the one I had at home." She   
said, quietly. Usagi, who had been folding out some of Miki's   
dresses, looked up from the suitcase.  
  
"Yeah. Nice, isn't it." She beamed. "I absolutely,   
positively refused to sleep on the wooden planks they were used to   
sleeping on. Gave me knots in my back." And to illustrate the   
point, she rubbed her back with a free hand. Miki smiled weakly and  
lay down against the bed, smiling at the rabbit pictures on the   
bedcover.  
  
"Usagi.... Why did they name you Usagi?" Miki twirled a   
finger on the bedcover.  
  
"Why do you ask?"  
  
"It's.... an odd kinda name." Miki's eyes started to flutter.  
"There's something warm about it, though.... Kind of cute and   
cuddly."  
  
"Aheh...." Usagi sweatdropped, thinking of the kind of   
response Rei would have given a statement such as that. Suddenly,  
something dawned on her. "Rei.... Oh my God!" She stood up,   
startling Miki from her near-slumber. "The others.... I forgot all   
about them...." Usagi froze, looking down at Miki's questioning   
expression, then slowly lowered herself back to the suitcase.   
"It's... er... nothing. I just forgot to tell some of my friends   
that you were coming over tonight."  
  
"Hmmm..." Miki settled back again. "When will I meet your   
friends?"  
  
"Probably tomorrow, if you're feeling up to it."  
  
Miki's enthusiasm seemed to defy her lack of energy. "Of   
course I'll be up to it. I'm not a weakling. Not for oneechan,   
anyway."  
  
Usagi swallowed, feeling a little guilty at bringing the   
subject up. She didn't want to push Miki beyond her limits. Too   
much too soon could take its toll on her. It occured to her that   
Miki might have been pushed beyond her limits, already, and was   
merely running on enthusiasm.  
  
"Hmm...." Usagi smiled at Miki. "Well, you don't want to go  
to sleep before dinner, do you?"  
  
"Maybe just a little sleep." Miki settled in on the bed,   
closing her eyes. "If that's okay with you?"  
  
Usagi smile dropped, slightly. "Yes. That's okay with me."  
Her voice was softer than she'd expected it to be. In a matter of  
moments, Miki was fast asleep. Usagi took off her jacket and laid   
it over the younger girl, then quietly turned back to the suitcase.  
Sighing, she opened up her wardrobe and quietly slid the suitcase   
into the recess at the bottom. Closing the wardrobe, she placed   
some of Miki's clothes on the dresser.  
  
Then she heard it. A soft tapping sound. At first she   
thought it might have been one of her family, knocking at her   
bedroom door. She stepped over, placing her hand on the doorknob,  
pausing as she thought of the times Shingo had used this ruse to  
catch her unawares.  
  
Standing behind the door, she opened it slightly and peered   
out. There was nobody there. At least, nobody that she could see.  
She opened the door fully and stared around the empty passageway,   
frowning, then shrugged her shoulders and closed it, intent on   
returning to her task.  
  
There was another tap, this time slightly louder. She turned  
to Miki to see if it had disturbed her, but the girl was fast   
asleep.. A thought occured to her that it might have been one of  
the others, knocking at her bedroom window in an attempt to tell her  
what had happened that day. She quietly stepped around the bed and  
pulled back her curtains. There was nobody at the window, either.   
She even opened up the window and peered out, but the cold quickly   
forced her back in, and she saw nobody in her brief glance, anyway.  
  
Just as she shut the curtains, there was a third tap, even   
louder, and a bit more insistent. Then a fourth, and a fifth.   
Usagi stared around the room, trying to find the source of the   
noise, and spied the wardrobe where she had just placed Miki's   
suitcase. There was no doubt about it, the tapping was coming from  
within.  
  
  
Usagi steeled herself and, stepping around her bed, she closed  
on the wardrobe with a merciless calm. Visions of Shingo, hiding in  
the wardrobe in an effort to frighten her came to mind. Her fists   
started to clench as she stepped up to the doors, another insistent  
tapping making her fume.  
  
She placed both her hands on the handles and threw them open,  
staring down at where she expected Shingo's face to be, only to find  
herself looking at someone else's midsection. Slowly she looked up,  
coming face to face with a green-haired woman.  
  
"Ah Princess...." Setsuna smiled, speaking softly. "Do you   
know how little room there is in a suitcase like that." And she   
pointed to the open suitcase she was standing in.  
  
----o  
  
  
From the Personal Journal of Neo Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
  
At that moment, I came close to doing something that I hadn't  
done since well before I was Miki's age. It was only through   
extreme control, and a concern for Miki, that avoided my having to   
clean up myself.  
  
I also had a few words to Pluto about her tendency to turn up  
in the most unexpected places....  
  
  
----o  
  
Setsuna shrugged, smiling. "It was a lot easier, utilising   
the natural portal that exists at the bottom of every suitcase, than  
walking up to your front door and trying to talk my way past your   
family."   
  
"So that's why peoples' luggage keeps disappearing...." Usagi  
pondered. Setsuna chuckled.  
  
"You should see what is lying in the portals.... I could   
start up my own business, specialising in used left socks and   
underwear." Usagi boggled at Setsuna's suggestion. "Just kidding."  
Setsuna added, after a few moments.  
  
"Moouuu...." Usagi clenched her fists, rising up on her toes  
as Setsuna stepped out of the wardrobe and crossed the room.  
  
The woman sat on the end of Usagi's bed, placing a gentle hand   
on Miki, watching the girl. Usagi reached forward, worried that   
Setsuna would wake her. "It's alright. I've placed her in a deep   
sleep. Her dreams shall be pleasant." She turned back to Usagi.   
"I wished to talk with you alone."  
  
Usagi swallowed. "Alone? With me?" Terrible thoughts   
started to enter her mind. "The others.... Has something happened  
to the others?" She grabbed Setsuna by the shoulders. "Oh my God!  
I should have been there.... I should...."  
  
Setsuna waved a hand at her dismissively. "Princess, please!  
Calm yourself. Your friends are perfectly alright. I have seen   
them not much more than a couple of hours ago."  
  
Usagi stared at Setsuna, not knowing whether to believe her or  
not, then dropped her face, letting out a breath. "It's just   
that... You only ever come to see us... to see ME, when things are  
really serious."  
  
"I don't know whether you could describe this visit in such   
terms, however...." Setsuna paused, allowing herself to think. "An  
unusual event has occured this afternoon. The others, in their role  
as senshi, came upon a Youma."  
  
"A Youma?" Usagi lifted her hands from Setsuna's shoulders   
and frowned. "Wasn't time reset in a manner that canceled them out  
of existence?" She closed her eyes and crossed her arms. "But   
then, if that were true, I shouldn't have any memories of those   
events." She started to umm and ahh, confusing herself even   
further. "I don't get it. What would a Youma be doing in Tokyo   
now?"  
  
"Apparently, she escaped from the sealed dimension into which  
YOU had placed her."  
  
"I had placed her?" Usagi blinked. "That's news to me."  
  
"The full extent of your powers are unknown, even to one such  
as I." Setsuna paused, allowing that to sink in. "Whatever the   
case, this Youma, Arimus, has escaped.... And she may be followed  
by others."  
  
"Oh, that's just great." Usagi started to pace the room.   
"And how do you know this? Did she tell you?"  
  
"Yes." Usagi was on the floor, facefaulting. Picking herself   
up, she shot Setsuna a questioning glance. "Well, she was not,   
apparently, hostile. She was a follower of the General Nephrite.   
And since he changed his allegiance, so did she."  
  
"So what have you done with her?" Usagi finally managed to   
say, after chewing that over.  
  
"She's staying with Jupiter. And before you say anything   
else, no, she's not in a position to do anything untoward.... Her  
powers and energies are on such a low ebb as to be almost   
undetectable."  
  
----o  
  
Makoto sniffed as she stared across her loungeroom at the   
figure, sitting upright on the sofa, staring at the box at the far  
end of the room that was making all the sound and noise. The thing   
she found most interesting were the size of Arimus's eyes.... as   
wide, round and white as a pair of golf balls shoved into her eye   
sockets. That and the fact that she was holding several of the sofa  
cushions in front of her as a kind of defence.  
  
"You can relax, you know. It isn't going to kill you."   
Makoto sighed, sinking deeper into her armchair. "Unless, of   
course, you include the radiation it puts out as being dangerous."  
  
"It puts out radiation?" Arimus moved even further from the  
television. "What is this radiation?"  
  
"Well, uh...." Makoto searched for words to reassure her   
guest. "They're kinda rays that the tube puts out in the production  
of the picture, and all that. I dunno.... I'm not a technician."  
  
"So, it is the aura the magic box produces."  
  
"Yeah, something like that." Makoto sweatdropped. Maybe she  
should couch her explanations in more arcane terms from now on....   
Arimus frowned, pointing at the television.  
  
"Is this magic evil? These images seem to be a form of mind-  
control, numbing the senses and lulling you into a state of stupor."  
  
"Well, that's the general purpose of television. I think. To  
help you relax and inform you of things."  
  
"Inform?" Arimus concentrated on the picture.... A red-  
haired clown was using his thumb as a valve to blow himself up like  
a balloon and float into the sky, in pursuit of a purple creature   
that seemed to have drifted away by accident. "Is this information  
of any true importance?"  
  
"Well, if you're hungry, yes. Although I tend to draw a line   
at the golden retches." Makoto giggled inanely.  
  
"Do all humans fly like that if they breathe into their   
opposing digits?"  
  
"No. Its just an advertising trick. Special effects and all  
that."  
  
"So the magic box is disseminating false information." Arimus  
nodded. "It would have made an effective tool for our campaigns   
against your human race." She peered at Makoto. "When we were at   
war, that is." Looking back at the television, she clasped at the   
cushions. "Not to say that we haven't already tried. That strange  
flying creature with the red hair bore an odd resemblance to many   
Youma of my acquaintance. Perhaps we are waging a war against you   
at this very moment, using these magical devices to drain your   
energy from you."  
  
"Actually, its more likely to be television executives."   
Makoto paused, thinking. "I suppose you could describe them as the  
enemies of the human race. Many of their decisions seem to be   
designed to piss people off."  
  
"So, you are fighting wars against more than one force."   
Arimus smiled. "No wonder we lost. You are a species well versed   
in the tactics of war." Makoto facefaulted.   
  
"It's not exactly like that...." The picture on the screen   
changed, showing scenes of war, famine, terrorism and urban   
violence. Makoto sank even deeper into her chair. "Well, maybe it  
is. Sometimes."  
  
"Fascinating." Arimus leaned forward. "Such intense   
viciousness." The pictures changed as two smiling faces were   
flashed across the screen in an advertisement for a news service.   
"They must be trainers in the art of war."  
  
"No. They're just a pair of brainless bimbos pretending to be  
serious newsreaders. Oh, why do I bother...." She jumped from her  
chair, landing on her feet with precision. "I'm going to get a   
drink. You just keep watching the... magic box. Take in its aura   
and all that. Maybe it shall make you feel better."  
  
Arimus looked at her, dubiously. "I have forsaken the ways of  
evil. Do I really want to take in the evil energies of this magic   
box, supplanting the energies you humans can give me?" She paused,  
looking distant. "Human auras are warm, inviting.... tasty. Except  
for those who have evil intent. None can describe the bitterness   
that they contain. Only the auras of pure human souls are prized by  
my kind." Arimus swallowed, licking her lips. "I shouldn't talk   
like this. I may be tempted back into my old ways."  
  
"Have you ever considered taking vitamin supplements?" Makoto  
said, sarcastically.  
  
"What are vitamin supplements?" Arimus pulled the cushions   
back towards her. Makoto rolled her eyes and stepped into her   
kitchen.  
  
"Human energies in a pill. I take them whenever I'm feeling   
really down." She opened up the fridge. "They're no replacement   
for a good diet and a healthy lifestyle. Of course, you wouldn't  
understand what I mean. You Youmas don't live 'healthy'   
lifestyles." She screwed up her nose at how little worth eating was  
sitting in her fridge. "Maybe I'm not getting the message, either."  
  
  
She pulled out a small glass tray, containing a leftover dinner,  
and a carton of orange juice. Closing the fridge door with  
her foot, she placed them on the kitchen table, glancing out through  
the doorway at Arimus, who was staring into the air, blankly. "Oi!   
Are you alright in there?" There was no response. Concerned, she  
stepped over to the doorway. "Hey! Hey you! Are you alright?"  
  
"Hmmm?" Arimus looked at her without really seeing her.   
Makoto swallowed, nervously.  
  
"I asked you if you were alright. You've come over all   
strange." Arimus blinked, then looked down at the floor. Makoto   
thought she saw a smile on the edges of her mouth. Not a nasty   
smile, the kind she had been used to seeing from her enemies, but a  
soft, contented smile. For Makoto, it was possibly the most   
unnerving thing the strange woman had done all evening.  
  
"I'm not feeling strange." Arimus said, softly. "I feel   
warm. I can feel my energies increasing once more."  
  
"But.... How?" Makoto blinked. She felt an element of   
concern. "Are you stealing energy from the other tenants of this  
building?"  
  
"No...." Arimus looked up at her, the dazed expression not  
leaving her eyes. "I know they're there.... but I'm too weak to   
take from them. This energy... is being fed INTO me." Arimus   
placed her arms around herself, as if in ecstasy. Makoto gripped   
the doorway, not knowing what to do.  
  
"But where? Where is it coming from?" Arimus's eyes opened  
and she smiled with wicked amusement at Makoto's question.  
  
"Why... You should know...."  
  
----o  
  
"Was it really necessary to give her a little boost like   
that?" Setsuna shrugged as Usagi, having changed into Eternal   
Sailormoon and placed her hands against her chest, allowing a certain   
amount of concentrated energy seep from her towards Makoto's  
apartment, settled to her knees on the floor, changing back into her  
normal self as she did so. She looked up at Setsuna, sighing.  
  
"If Arimus is our ally, then she requires the energy with   
which to live."  
  
"You're not some kind of proxy generator." Setsuna shrugged   
again. "The others had agreed to supply her with a certain amount   
of energy. At least, enough to keep her alive."  
  
"Just enough to keep her ticking over, hmm?" Usagi placed her   
hands on her knees. "That would be like waving morsels of food in   
front of the malnourished, keeping them alive for the sake of using  
them.... Not out of some humanitarian notion of goodwill."  
  
Setsuna smiled. "Now THAT'S more like the Serenity I   
remember." She clapped her hands together. "It's pleasing to see  
you are regaining your old personality, and not a moment too soon."  
  
"Get real, Pluto. I've ALWAYS thought that way." She paused.  
"Give or take a few tantrums. I would NEVER tease someone in that   
manner. I've had it done to me too many times."  
  
  
There was a knock at the door, making Usagi jump, turning as  
Shingo opened it wide. "Oi, Usagi... Dinner's ready." He sneered  
at her. "Come and get it, or I'll eat the lot." He turned to   
Setsuna. "Oh, hi there, Meiou-san. Mama says you can join us if   
you wish." And with that, he closed the door. Usagi glanced aside  
at Setsuna.  
  
"What just happened?"  
  
"Oh, I used a little trick on your family that Chibiusa had   
perfected." She grinned. "Seems to have worked."  
  
Usagi glared daggers at her. "Why didn't you do that to begin  
with, rather than scare me half to death by appearing through a   
suitcase?"  
  
"Oh...." Setsuna looked away, deviously. "I wanted to see   
your reaction. You can be so cute when you get all worked up,   
sometimes." Usagi grumbled unmentionables under her breath.   
"Anyway, I had to be IN the house to do it. I'm not as good as   
Chibiusa at it, yet, and I don't have Luna P to help me."  
  
"Fine excuse." Usagi huffed. "We're going to have to wake  
Miki up, now." Usagi stood, stepping over to Miki's side.  
  
"Yes, Miki." Setsuna paused. "You might have to explain me   
to her." Usagi glanced over at Setsuna.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I didn't use the little trick on her that I used on your   
family." She paused. "I did try, however...."  
  
"However what?" Usagi looked down at the sleeping Miki,   
touching the girl's face.  
  
"However.... she was.... resistant to my powers."  
  
"Eh?" Usagi looked at Setsuna, shocked.  
  
"Yes. She's a very special girl, this Miki." She paused,   
nodding to herself, strange thoughts entering her strange mind. "A   
VERY special girl."  
  
  
END OF PART 10  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Next Chapter.... "Dinner Time"  
  
  
An apology to all of those who have been trying to send me emails,  
or have been expecting me to keep them posted as to this story's  
progress. Having had my computer turn belly-up in the middle of  
writing the last chapter, I had lost all of my email addresses and  
was not able to download my mail before it was removed from the  
server. All those who want to have this fanfic posted directly to  
them, please leave me your email addresses again so I can get to  
it, straight away. ^_^  
  
Jim  
  
  
Naito Raida ikari@wantree.net.au  
  
  
Member of the AJAS Fanfic Circle 


	11. Not a God 11: Dinner Time, or Chapter of...

Title: Not a God Part 11 (Version 1.0)  
Author: nIGHT rIDER  
Email: ikari@wantree.net.au  
Rating: PG  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
There was a knock at the door, making Usagi jump, turning as  
Shingo opened it wide. "Oi, Usagi... Dinner's ready." He sneered  
at her. "Come and get it, or I'll eat the lot." He turned to   
Setsuna. "Oh, hi there, Meiou-san. Mama says you can join us if   
you wish." And with that, he closed the door. Usagi glanced aside  
at Setsuna.  
  
"What just happened?"  
  
"Oh, I used a little trick on your family that Chibiusa had   
perfected." She grinned. "Seems to have worked."  
  
Usagi glared daggers at her. "Why didn't you do that to begin  
with, rather than scare me half to death by appearing through a   
suitcase?"  
  
"Oh...." Setsuna looked away, deviously. "I wanted to see   
your reaction. You can be so cute when you get all worked up,   
sometimes." Usagi grumbled unmentionables under her breath.   
"Anyway, I had to be IN the house to do it. I'm not as good as   
Chibiusa at it, yet, and I don't have Luna P to help me."  
  
"Fine excuse." Usagi huffed. "We're going to have to wake  
Miki up, now." Usagi stood, stepping over to Miki's side.  
  
"Yes, Miki." Setsuna paused. "You might have to explain me   
to her." Usagi glanced over at Setsuna.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I didn't use the little trick on her that I used on your   
family." She paused. "I did try, however...."  
  
"However what?" Usagi looked down at the sleeping Miki,   
touching the girl's face.  
  
"However.... she was.... resistant to my powers."  
  
"Eh?" Usagi looked at Setsuna, shocked.  
  
"Yes. She's a very special girl, this Miki." She paused,   
nodding to herself, strange thoughts entering her strange mind. "A   
VERY special girl."  
  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
BISHOUJO SENSHI SAILORMOON / TAIHO SHICHAUZO  
NOT A GOD  
by nIGHT rIDER (Assistance by DDFA)  
  
Disclaimer - all characters pertaining to the series Bishoujo Senshi  
Sailormoon and Taiho Shichauzo are owned by Takeuchi Naoko,   
Fujishima Kosuke, Bandai, TBS, and Kodansya. All other characters   
were thought up by me. Well, its true, isn't it?  
  
Chapter 11  
Dinner Time  
or "Chapter of the Carrot"  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
Usagi looked down at her dinner plate with a greater sense of  
fear and dread than she'd had for a good number of years. Due to   
the fact that Miki's condition allowed her to eat only a certain   
number of foods, mostly vegetable, Usagi's Papa and Shingo had   
prepared a large salad dish to go with the main meal.  
  
With absolutely oodles of carrots. In strips, even.  
  
It had always amused a large number of people around her that,  
with a name like Usagi, she found carrots to be absolutely   
intolerable to eat. She couldn't really define what it was she   
didn't like about them.... It was a combination of things, such as  
the odd sweetness, occasionally combined with a sourness, especially  
in those that weren't quite ripe, or simply weren't grown properly.   
  
Then there was the texture. The snap-hard solidity, when raw,   
made it feel like she was breaking off her teeth in an effort to eat   
them.  
  
Then there were those that were too ripe, with all the   
flexibility and consistency of rubber. But even worse, when they   
were cooked, be they steamed or boiled, or, Kami forbid, BAKED...   
resplendent with slightly scorched skin... all the flavour of a   
sweetened old shoe in a mushy orange stick....  
  
  
Ikuko served the salad out to each of those sitting at the   
table. Kenji, sitting at one end, had already clouted Shingo one  
over the back of the head for starting before Usagi, Miki and   
Setsuna had come down from Usagi's bedroom. It had taken Usagi a  
good ten minutes to rouse Miki from her sleep, and had carried the   
girl down the stairs before Miki almost leapt from her arms into the  
seat next to Shingo.  
  
Shingo looked at her with an element of disdain, even after   
Miki had smiled at him with her best 'winning smile'. Turning back  
to Usagi, who had sat down next to her, at the opposite end of the  
table from her Papa, she whispered.... "What is it with your   
brother? Isn't he feeling well, or something?"  
  
Usagi sighed, whispering back in conspiratorial tone.... "No,  
he's fine. That's his usual disposition."  
  
"Oh.... So he's a sourpuss, then." Usagi tried to suppress a  
giggle as Miki stuck a finger in her mouth, making a fake gagging   
noise.  
  
Setsuna had placed herself opposite Miki, smiling at Ikuko as  
she dished out some of the salad on her plate. "So...." She began.   
"Usagi and I were just talking about how you hurried along the   
process of Miki's fostering." She smiled at Ikuko, who paused for  
a moment, frowning. Usagi looked at the pair of them in surprise.  
  
"You were?" Ikuko scratched her head. "Funny, I don't   
remember telling anyone else." Setsuna smiled, placing a hand on   
Ikuko's arm.  
  
"Oh no.... You were telling me over the phone only yesterday.  
You thought it would be good for Usagi and Miki to be together as   
soon as possible, since Usagi's presence had helped Miki's health,  
and that Miki would be a great test of responsibility for Usagi."  
  
"Ah, yes, now I remember." Ikuko swallowed, desperately   
trying to remember if what Setsuna was saying were true. At that  
point, a vision of the memory entered her mind. "Yes, I did. Only  
yesterday. Sorry, I've had so many things on my mind, lately.   
After all, it WAS partly your idea."  
  
Setsuna nodded, turning to Usagi. "It was nice of your   
mother, don't you think?"  
  
"Uh.... Yeah." What the hell are you talking about, Pluto,  
Usagi thought to herself. Setsuna smiled, winking at Usagi as Ikuko  
moved along to her husband, gently placing his portion of the salad  
on his plate with the kind of sickeningly cute interplay that would  
often go on between the pair.  
  
"Here you go, darling." Ikuko.  
  
"Thankyou dear." Kenji reply.  
  
"I know how much you love these salads." Ikuko again.  
  
"Yes, they're delicious." Kenji, lying through his teeth.  
  
"Besides, you're going to need your strength for later on   
tonight." Ikuko giggles.  
  
Kenji sweatdrops.  
  
Both Shingo and Usagi hung their heads in embarrassment as   
Setsuna and Miki smiled at each other, Miki stuffing one of the   
carrot sticks into her mouth. With a smile, she turned to Usagi,  
holding out one of the sticks. "Hai kore..." Miki gave Usagi a   
cute expression.  
  
Usagi swallowed, looking down at the dreaded orange object,  
held out in front of her. "Ah... Miki..." She sweatdropped. The   
girl blinked in surprise.  
  
"Don't you like them?"  
  
"No, it's not that...." Usagi wasn't sure how to respond.   
She felt something hit her in the shin, rather hard, and she looked  
over at Setsuna, who was waving at her and gesturing at Miki. She   
got the message. "Thankyou, Miki, that's most kind of you." She  
took the carrot from Miki and popped it in her mouth, chewing it   
with deliberate slowness, trying to keep it as far from her   
tastebuds as possible, whilst hiding from Miki the fact that she was  
finding it torture.  
  
"That's okay, oneechan." Miki grinned, cutely. "I don't like   
them very much, so I can give all my spares to you." Usagi's   
stomach came close to rebelling at that point, her face turning a   
delightful shade of green. Miki pointed at Usagi and giggled.  
  
"Oneechan.... Your face has gone a funny colour." She   
paused, putting a finger to her forehead, thinking. "Umm... Are  
you feeling alright?"  
  
"I'm fine." Usagi smiled, grabbing a glass to wash down the   
poison. "Blorkle blorkle." She mumbled as she washed every last   
piece into her long-suffering stomach. "S'alright." Usagi put up   
two fingers in a V for Victory sign. "I'll live. Probably." I   
hope the hospital has a good stomach pump, Usagi thought to herself.  
  
"Hmm." Miki looked over at Shingo. "You were right. She   
doesn't like them very much." Usagi paused, then shot Shingo a   
look as her little brother folded his hands behind his head,   
whistling. "Hmm.... I wonder what Shingo-chan doesn't like." Miki  
put a finger to her mouth, pondering.  
  
"Spinach seems to be a good start." Ikuko smiled. "And   
Brussel Sprouts. Although we don't get to eat them all that often,  
since they're hard to find. However...." They watched as Ikuko   
stepped into the kitchen, then emerged with a steaming tray of   
spinach and brussel sprouts. "Just for him, I did my best to find   
them. Nice for Papa to have cooked them, isn't it? After all, we   
don't want Shingo to have all the fun, do we?"  
  
"Mama! Papa!" Shingo looked at both of his parents. "How  
could you have done this to me?"  
  
"Well, I started by going to the shop...." Ikuko snorted with  
laughter as she placed the tray on the table. "Don't worry,   
peoples. There is a nice sauce to go with these. Even Miki can eat  
it."  
  
----o  
  
Rei closed her eyes and attempted to find herself some peace   
of mind. And failed. Her mind was too cluttered, with something,   
anything, to allow her to wind down for the day. She had not heard   
from Usagi, which disturbed her somewhat. Usagi would normally have  
gone out of her way to hear how things had gone, to hear that   
everything was alright. Of course, Pluto had assured them that she  
would get in contact and appraise her on everything that had gone   
on. But still, she was curious.  
  
She had felt a tingle. A very slight tingle, but one she'd   
felt before, one that came from Usagi.... Serenity. It was so hard  
to divide between the two. Well, they WERE the same person, more or  
less. More less than more, of course, but then again, she knew her  
better than a majority of people, including the other senshi. Usagi  
had a tendency to confide in her quite deeply. And, dammit, that   
was why she was so miffed. Why the HELL didn't Usagi call her and   
tell her how her day had been. She bloody well wanted to know.  
  
She shifted on the floor, legs crossed rather uncomfortably,   
as she normally would do during meditation, her miko costume folding  
uncomfortably underneath her legs, made all the worse by the   
lingering sensation of that tingle. Serenity's power, being   
transferred. Transferred to somewhere, or someone. Serenity had   
saved people with that power, sometimes even herself. If Usagi had  
used it, then that could have meant....  
  
Rei's eyes opened as she felt her stomach turn. What if Miki  
had.... What if something bad happened. She put a hand to her   
mouth and willed herself to close her eyes. If anything REALLY bad  
had happened, she'd be the first to know. Usagi had that tendency   
to run to the first person she could think of when bad things   
happened, and she tended to be that person. Unless, of course, the  
bad things involved her. Which they often did. Rei's concern slid  
away as she suppressed a giggle. She just had to learn to stop   
being so cruel to Usagi. But then, it was so much fun teasing her.  
So easy to get her all worked up. Nothing like a good argument to  
help you wind down at the end of the day.  
  
Clearing her throat, she reposition herself and tried to   
relax. Then her communicator sounded, and she flew across the room,  
grabbing it. "YES? WHO IS IT?" She asked in too loud a voice,   
making it sound as if she was annoyed for being disturbed.  
  
"Oi, steady on." Minako's voice was an audible flinch. "What   
did I do, disturb you and Yuuichirou in the middle of something?"  
  
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Rei's face went bright red, then she put   
a hand over the communicator, checking to see if anyone was   
watching. "Now, listen you...."  
  
"It was just a joke, jeez. I only called to see if you'd   
heard from Usagi, or anything."  
  
"What makes you think I've heard anything from her. I'm stuck  
in the prayer room, trying to relax after a hard and utterly   
unresolved day, and then you call me over this damn thing."  
  
"You know, you really do need a boyfriend." Minako sniffed.   
"It might help get rid of some of your unresolved anger." She   
continued before Rei could explode. "Anyways, you're usually the   
first cap off the rank. I want to know how things went with Miki,   
and all."  
  
"So do I." Rei let out a long breath. "By the way, did you  
feel anything about half an hour ago?"  
  
"Feel?" Minako sounded puzzled. "Like what?"  
  
"A tingling sensation. You know, like when Usagi uses her   
power, and all that."  
  
"No, not really." Minako chuckled. "A tingling, eh? You   
sure you weren't having any dirty th..."  
  
"That's about enough of that, thankyou very much." Rei   
harrumphed. "I'm being serious, here."  
  
"So am I." Minako yawned. "Half an hour ago I was in the  
shower. I was feeling plenty of tingles at that moment, but nothing  
that could be vaguely described as portentous."  
  
"This wasn't portentous, you silly blond-haired cow." Rei   
ground her teeth together. "She was using her power to heal."  
  
"Blond-haired cow?" Minako huffed. "Thems fightin' words."  
Rei dropped to the floor and banged her forehead against it.  
  
"Please, Kami-sama, save me from fools." She got back up   
again. "Listen, Minako-chan.... It worried me, that's all. I   
mean, why WOULD she use her powers?"  
  
"Beats me. A party trick, or something?" Minako paused,   
thinking things over. "Maybe, you know, Miki and all that. I   
suppose Miki could've fallen ill again. Maybe that's why we haven't  
heard from her. She could still be at the hospital."  
  
"Oh my GOD." Rei put a hand to her mouth, feeling a little  
pale all of a sudden. "What if things have really gone badly with  
child welfare. What if Miki is dying...."  
  
"Don't say things like that. You'll only get yourself more   
worked up." Minako said, placatingly. "And you're getting me   
worried. That's why I called you."  
  
"Then shouldn't we call Ami-chan? I mean, she'd know if   
everything went alright down at the hospital."  
  
"Yes, but if that were the case, why hasn't she called us,   
already?" A state of paranoia slowly started to build up between   
the pair. Had it not been for the footsteps along the landing,   
outside the prayer room, they might have started to get metaphysical  
and start to doubt the existence of the human race. Rei hushed   
Minako and turned to the sliding door, watching as a figure, shadow  
cast across the light, thin material of the door, pause. From the  
silhouette, Rei could see that it was Yuuichirou.  
  
"Would you kind not creeping up on me when I'm meditating."   
Rei called out to the figure. Yuuichirou put a hand behind his   
head, giggling nervously.  
  
"I thought I heard you talking to someone. I just came to see  
who it was." He slid the door open and stared around the room.   
"Ano.... I could have sworn."  
  
"I was.... talking to the spirits. Now excuse me, before the  
one sitting in that corner, over there, takes a liking to you." She  
pointed to the empty corner of the room, to which Yuuichirou's gaze  
followed her direction.  
  
"Is there really something there?" He looked hard, trying to  
make out something, anything.... Rei sighed and closed her eyes.  
  
"Why, hello darling." Said a voice from the corner. "My,   
aren't you a sweet looking thing. Why don't you come to Mama, so I  
can take good care of you.... FOREVER!" Yuuichirou sweatdropped   
and backed out of the room.  
  
"That's okay.... I think I hear your ojiisan calling. You   
know how he hates it when I turn up late. Ciao...." He quickly   
closed the door behind him and made tracks. Rei opened her eyes and  
let out a long breath.  
  
"What was that about?" She heard Minako's voice from the   
communicator. She chuckled.  
  
"Sorry, just using my training in throwing voices. Never   
thought I'd need it for things such as this." She paused. "Never  
thought I'd actually need it at all, to put it rightly. Just a   
party trick that Ojiichan uses whenever he tries to pick up girls."  
Rei lowered her head. "It never works. For him, anyway."  
  
----o  
  
The knock at the door brough an annoyed expression to Ikuko's  
face. Having just been able to sit down, everyone stared at her   
expectantly, as if not having started her dinner yet was a   
convenient excuse for their not answering. The knocking continued,  
rather insistently, and a little annoyingly.  
  
Usagi took a breath, sighing as her mother made to stand.   
"I'll see who it is." She said, abruptly.  
  
"You're sure?" Ikuko looked from Usagi to the hallway. "Your   
dinner will get cold." Usagi looked down at her plate, where a lot   
of orange objects were still sitting.  
  
"Sure, sure.... I'm not feeling all that hungry, anyway."   
Usagi turned to Miki. "Wanna see who it is?"  
  
Miki, wiping food from the sides of her mouth, nodded mutely.  
Usagi stood, picking her up in her arms, and she wandered around the  
table and along the hallway to the front door, where she paused,   
feeling a slight sense of unease. "What is it, oneechan?" Miki   
looked at her, quizzically.  
  
"I don't know.... I feel a bit odd about this for some   
reason." Without thinking, she placed the chain in its latch before  
making to open the door. Before she knew what was happening, the   
door was pushed back from the outside, a figure trying to press his  
way through the gap.  
  
"Tsukino-san? Tsukino Usagi?" The man in the grey suit   
pushed his face through the gap. He was a weedy little character   
with prominent front teeth and a hooked nose, appearing to be in his  
mid-thirties. Usagi stood back in surprise, holding Miki   
protectively.  
  
"Who are you?" She asked, defensively. The man pushed his   
hand through the gap, holding out a small business card.  
  
"My name is Kazue. I'm from the Tokyo Gazette. I wish to   
talk with you about your rescue of the Takimi girl." He peered   
around, and spotted Miki in her arms. "Is that her? Is that the  
kid?"  
  
Miki looked up at Usagi as she turned, trying to block the   
young girl from the reporter's view. "What do you want? How dare  
you try and barge in here like this?"  
  
"Is everything alright out there, Usagi-chan?" Usagi heard  
her father calling. She set Miki down and gestured for her to go   
back to the dining room.  
  
"What is going on, oneechan?" Miki held Usagi's arm. Usagi  
smiled at her, gently.  
  
"Don't worry. We're just having a bit of an annoyance.   
Please tell Mama and Papa about it, will you?" Miki nodded mutely  
and wandered back along the hallway as Usagi turned to the reporter.  
"You've got some nerve, trying to barge in here like this." She   
hissed, trying to keep her voice as low as possible. The reporter  
grinned, cynically.  
  
"Oh come on, Tsukino-san.... You must have had dozens of   
reporters on your case, already. Yours is a big interest story."   
He waved the card in her face. "Take my card, please. I really   
want to do an interview with you and the girl. Please." Usagi  
looked at him closely, and decided she didn't like the looks of him.  
  
"What was it you said you were from? The Tokyo Gazette?" She  
paused. "Isn't that a tit and scandal rag?" She opened her eyes   
wide. "Yeah, that one that does spreads of schoolgirls. NUDE   
spreads!"  
  
"Oh come on...." Kazue looked as if he were sweating, Usagi  
now pressing against the other side of the door, ready to sever him  
from his hand. "It's not that bad, really.... We only do that kind  
of thing with models and such. They're not REALLY schoolgirls. And  
I AM interested in doing a piece about you...."  
  
Usagi gave him the evil eye. "Don't try and pull one over me.  
I KNOW for a fact that they aren't all models. I once talked a girl  
out of jumping off the top of my old school building after she was   
sucked in to doing one of your photo sessions." Usagi smiled. "Say  
goodbye to your arm." With one hand, Usagi started pushing the door   
back, very much to his surprise, as she was a hell of a lot stronger  
than she looked.  
  
"Princess...." She heard a voice from behind her and stopped  
just as Kazue started to make the kinds of sounds she wanted to   
hear. Turning, she saw Setsuna standing with her hands behind her   
back, smiling. "Who is our guest you are attempting to dismember?"  
  
"Save it, Pl...." Usagi doubled back. "....Setsuna-san.   
This guy is nothing more than a sleazy reporter for a scandal rag."  
She pointed at him as he retrieved his arm, rubbing it with a rather  
thankful expression. "One who almost cost me a friend."  
  
"Really? is that so?" Setsuna placed a hand on Usagi's   
shoulder. "Allow me to deal with this gentleman. I'm sure we can  
come to a mutual understanding." The expression of Setsuna's face  
was enough to make Usagi stand back. Setsuna closed the door and  
unlatched it, then opened it again, widely. "Kazue-san is your   
name, I take it?"  
  
Kazue looked up at the new figure in surprise. "Umm... Yeah."  
He frowned. "How did you know my name?" Setsuna lifted up her   
hands, expansively. "Why, don't you recognise me, Kazue-san? I'm  
your old high-school newspaper editor. You remember, don't you?"  
  
Kazue frowned, trying to search for the memory. "Uhh....   
Yeah, I remember now." He scratched his head. "Meiou Setsuna,   
wasn't it?"  
  
Usagi's jaw dropped to the carpet as Setsuna gestured down the  
street. "I'm sorry, Kazue-san, but the house your looking for is   
that one, just across the road, there." She pointed to a rather   
expensive-looking double storey town house. Kazue turned and looked  
at the house, sweatdropping.  
  
"Oh, I'm so terribly sorry...." He turned back and bowed to   
Setsuna. "I'm not very good at directions these days." And with   
another smile and a bow, he made his way out of their front garden.  
Setsuna closed the door and turned to Usagi, smiling. Usagi, for   
her part, was giving Setsuna dubious glances.  
  
"What was all that about?" Setsuna chuckled, folding her arms  
behind her head as she started back down the hallway.  
  
"Oh, it's nothing. Just sent that gentleman on his way to   
learn a lesson in life."  
  
"But you sent him to Hidetachi's house. Hidetachi is...."   
Usagi paused when she saw Setsuna wink at her, then finally   
understood, an evil smile coming to her face. "Why Pluto, you   
little fox, you."  
  
Fox ears appeared on Setsuna's head as she let out a little  
"ohohohohohoho" along the hall.  
  
----o  
  
Kazue thumped against the door of the town house, heavily.   
"OPEN UP, YOU! I WANT TO SPEAK WITH YOU, NOW!" He shouted.   
Feeling a little annoyed with himself for going to the wrong house,  
which for some reason seemed to be the right house at the time. But  
no matter, he was going to get his interview, no matter what.  
  
The light in the hall was switched on, he could see through   
the translucent window by the door, and he could hear footsteps   
thumping their way towards the door. After the unlocking of several  
latches, the door was flung open to reveal a large, well-built man,  
wearing nothing more than his trousers, showing off the multitude  
of rippling pecs and muscles he had worked many years in perfecting,  
as well as the large tattoo of sakura blossom over his shoulders.   
Behind the man, wearing nothing more than a nightdress, was a blond  
woman, lounging over his arm with a sleepy expression. The man   
looked down upon Kazue with a volcanic expression.  
  
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?" The man, Hidetachi Kudan, roared with  
undistilled anger. Kazue shrank several inches in his presence.   
"AND JUST WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?"  
  
"I came.... to interview...." He started to say, but didn't  
get very far. Oddly enough, it was exactly as far as he expected to  
get, but he just couldn't help himself, as if someone else had been  
saying the words that came from his mouth.  
  
"I DON'T DO INTERVIEWS, PARASITE!" Hidetachi, annoyed at the   
reporter's intrusion into his life, gripped Kazue's collar and   
lifted him, bodily, from the ground.  
  
"But I was told to come here...." Kazue croaked as he felt   
the tightness around his neck. "To interview Tsukino Usagi...."   
The ludicrousness of the statement still didn't prevent him from   
saying it. Tsukino Usagi lived several houses down the street....   
Why was he bothering to mention it in the presence of this ruffian?  
  
"Usagi-chan?" The woman standing behind Hidetachi, his latest   
squeeze Sherie McRae, an ex centerfold, looked up at her man's face.   
"He's talking about the girl across the road. You know, the one who   
rescued the little kid." She crossed her arms and leaned against   
the frame of the front door. "To be expected, I suppose. The media   
has the innate ability to ingratiate itself on people who don't   
deserve their scrutiny."  
  
"So...." Hidetachi smiled, pulling Kazue's face up to his   
own. "You wanna talk wiv lil' Usagi-chan? Well, lemme tell ya   
somethin'.... I've been lookin' after da kids in dis street fer   
years, an' I don't take kindly ta scum like you nosin' around in   
their business, ya understand." He paused for effect, then....   
"Especially when it means messin' around in MY business!" And with   
that, Hidetachi drew back a fist and sent Kazue packing back to his   
office, one way express.  
  
Sherie put a hand over her eyes, watching Kazue fly away.   
"You gotta be careful, Ku-chan.... One of these days you'll send   
someone into orbit." Hidetachi cracked his knuckles, feeling rather  
satisfied with himself, then put an arm around Sherie, who snuggled   
up to his chest, giggling.  
  
"Never give parasites like that a second chance, dats what I  
always say." He smiled at Sherie, gently, placing a finger under   
her chin. "Dey took advantage of you when ya were just a kid.   
Better to send dem packin' before dey get da opportunity."  
  
"Oh Ku-chan!" Sherie giggled and nuzzled against Hidetachi's  
chest hairs.  
  
"All da same, ya know what dis means, of course?"  
  
"What?" Sherie raised her head, frowning.  
  
"It means I'm gonna hafta watch out for dat Tsukino girl, full   
time. Otherwise scum like 'im is gonna be crawlin' da street." He   
turned and looked over at Usagi's house. "It's my job, after all."  
  
  
END OF PART 11  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Next Chapter.... "The Next Day"  
  
  
Naito Raida ikari@wantree.net.au  
  
  
Member of the AJAS Fanfic Circle 


	12. Not a God 12: Night Dreaming

Title: Not a God Part 12 (Version 1.0)  
Author: nIGHT rIDER  
Email: ikari@wantree.net.au  
Rating: G  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?" The man, Hidetachi Kudan, roared with  
undistilled anger. Kazue shrank several inches in his presence.   
"AND JUST WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?"  
  
"I came.... to interview...." He started to say, but didn't  
get very far. Oddly enough, it was exactly as far as he expected to  
get, but he just couldn't help himself, as if someone else had been  
saying the words that came from his mouth.  
  
"I DON'T DO INTERVIEWS, PARASITE!" Hidetachi, annoyed at the   
reporter's intrusion into his life, gripped Kazue's collar and   
lifted him, bodily, from the ground.  
  
"But I was told to come here...." Kazue croaked as he felt   
the tightness around his neck. "To interview Tsukino Usagi...."   
The ludicrousness of the statement still didn't prevent him from   
saying it. Tsukino Usagi lived several houses down the street....   
Why was he bothering to mention it in the presence of this ruffian?  
  
"Usagi-chan?" The woman standing behind Hidetachi, his latest   
squeeze Sherie McRae, an ex centerfold, looked up at her man's face.   
"He's talking about the girl across the road. You know, the one who   
rescued the little kid." She crossed her arms and leaned against   
the frame of the front door. "To be expected, I suppose. The media   
has the innate ability to ingratiate itself on people who don't   
deserve their scrutiny."  
  
"So...." Hidetachi smiled, pulling Kazue's face up to his   
own. "You wanna talk wiv lil' Usagi-chan? Well, lemme tell ya   
somethin'.... I've been lookin' after da kids in dis street fer   
years, an' I don't take kindly ta scum like you nosin' around in   
their business, ya understand." He paused for effect, then....   
"Especially when it means messin' around in MY business!" And with   
that, Hidetachi drew back a fist and sent Kazue packing back to his   
office, one way express.  
  
Sherie put a hand over her eyes, watching Kazue fly away.   
"You gotta be careful, Ku-chan.... One of these days you'll send   
someone into orbit." Hidetachi cracked his knuckles, feeling rather  
satisfied with himself, then put an arm around Sherie, who snuggled   
up to his chest, giggling.  
  
"Never give parasites like that a second chance, dats what I  
always say." He smiled at Sherie, gently, placing a finger under   
her chin. "Dey took advantage of you when ya were just a kid.   
Better to send dem packin' before dey get da opportunity."  
  
"Oh Ku-chan!" Sherie giggled and nuzzled against Hidetachi's  
chest hairs.  
  
"All da same, ya know what dis means, of course?"  
  
"What?" Sherie raised her head, frowning.  
  
"It means I'm gonna hafta watch out for dat Tsukino girl, full   
time. Otherwise scum like 'im is gonna be crawlin' da street." He   
turned and looked over at Usagi's house. "It's my job, after all."  
  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
BISHOUJO SENSHI SAILORMOON / TAIHO SHICHAUZO  
NOT A GOD  
by nIGHT rIDER (Assistance by DDFA)  
  
Disclaimer - all characters pertaining to the series Bishoujo Senshi  
Sailormoon and Taiho Shichauzo are owned by Takeuchi Naoko,   
Fujishima Kosuke, Bandai, TBS, and Kodansya. All other characters   
were thought up by me. Well, it's true, isn't it?  
  
Chapter 12  
Night Dreaming  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
From the Personal Journal of Neo Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
  
Hidetachi Kudan. Mother and Father would tell me, as a child,   
never to associate myself with him, but never would say why. There   
were always whispers about him, of course, and he looked like the   
kind of person one should really avoid... a gangster, a heavy. Of   
course, appearances, and reputations, can be deceiving.  
  
  
Hidetachi-san's family had lived within the Juuban district   
for generations, and had always regarded themselves as its ersatz  
guardians. One would be tempted to refer to them as vigilantes if   
it weren't for the more subtle methods they used to protect the   
people of Juuban. Their connections, to various shady groups, as   
well as the pillars of society, made them into a kind of mediation  
group... minders, so to speak. And it was this that Hidetachi Kudan   
prided himself on being.  
  
And he was very good at it, too. Especially when dealing with  
nosy reporters. Setsuna knew exactly what she was doing when she   
sent that sleazy reporter his way. Most especially if the guy was  
likely to mention my name. After all, living just down the street  
from him, I was likely to come under his wing, even if I didn't know  
it most of the time. The only occasion that I can recall where he   
made his presence obvious is when I was no more than eight years   
old, and had sprained my ankle in a playground brawl with some   
bullies who were thugging on Naru-chan. Suddenly, this huge   
mountain of muscle arrives and picks up the two boys by the backs of  
their collars, bodily, lifting them off the ground to HIS face   
height. All he did was smile, and the pair of them suddenly had wet  
patches in the seat of their trousers.  
  
After letting them go (well, you can't say he hurt them or   
anything... that's not his style) and watching them make for the   
hills, he lifted me up onto his shoulders and carried me back home,  
explaining to Mother what had happened. Excluding her nervousness  
at coming face to face with him, she was most grateful for his   
intervention. Of course, she was cross at me for giving the boys  
black eyes....  
  
We never did have any trouble with those boys again. Every   
time we did come face to face, they beat a nervous retreat, making  
chicken noises as they did so. Well, that last bit could have been  
my imagination, but it was a nice thought.  
  
  
----o  
  
Natsumi opened her eyes, momentarily, as the door to her room  
opened, letting in a small amount of light from the corridor beyond.  
She stirred, turning on her bed and muttering something   
unintelligible about the ride height of the ZX9R.  
  
"You'll catch a cold if you sleep on top of your covers, you  
know." Miyuki crossed her arms, half smiling as her partner tossed  
one of her pillows across the room at her. "Oh tsk tsk! I only   
came to see if you were awake or not."  
  
"I'm awaaaaake. Now." Natsumi mumbled. "It'sh shtarting to   
get late, you know."  
  
"I know. I just thought you'd want to know that Yoriko and   
Aoi have left."  
  
"Haiiii." Miyuki wasn't expecting much of a reply, as Natsumi  
raised her hand in the air, waving dismissively before turning away   
from her partner, towards the window.  
  
"Well, if you hadn't bolted down those drinks, you wouldn't be  
feeling like this, now, silly girl. It was rather rude of you,   
whilst we had visitors, although with past experience...." Miyuki  
shrugged her shoulders. "I'm sure you remember Lord Enma's   
inspection, when we tried to hide you in the lockers because of your  
hangover. I'm sure he was REALLY pleased with the way you   
redecorated his uniform."  
  
"Ah, ta hell wiv work." Natsumi harrumphed. "I can deal wizh   
that when it happensh. Not a problemsh. I thinksh." Natsumi   
giggled, then went quiet before wiping her nose with the kind of  
snorting noise that made Miyuki squirm.  
  
"What's wrong with you, lately?" Miyuki frowned with some  
concern. "You've been acting awfully grumpy." She pondered for a  
moment. "I know you haven't been sleeping well. Although I'd put   
that down to the things you'd eat before you went to bed, as   
usual...."  
  
"It'sh nuffink, alright. I've jusht been having a lot of   
dreamsh, okay?" Natsumi's response seemed a little curt for   
Miyuki's liking. It wasn't often that Natsumi would fail to voice   
her feelings. Indeed, there was rarely an emotion that would pass   
through Natsumi's mind that wouldn't be vocalised, one way or   
another. Miyuki had usually been the one to bottle up her feelings  
about things, something that would often drive Natsumi clean round   
the twist, especially when things involved Nakajima.   
  
Miyuki's concept of social sensitivity tended to override her   
desire for action, meaning that her method of dealing with things   
was inaction, silently hoping that things would work themselves out.  
That had changed a little when she met Natsumi, learning a little   
more self-confidence in private matters whilst hoping to temper   
Natsumi at the same time. It was actually one of the reasons   
Bokutoo's Captain had paired them together.  
  
Miyuki padded across the room and sat alongside her partner on  
the edge of the bed. Natsumi, registering her presence, moved   
further away, as if putting more room between them would make Miyuki  
disappear. "Natsumi...." Miyuki whispered. "I know you better   
than this.... Something has been gnawing at you, lately."  
  
"Trying the soft approach, eh?" Natsumi started to chuckle,   
then sat up, smiling like a loon. "Oh Miyuki, creeping into my  
bedroom in the middle of the night. I didn't know you cared." And  
with that, she threw her arms around Miyuki, making smooching sounds  
as Miyuki sweatdropped, trying to push her away.  
  
"Maybe you had a little more to drink than I thought...."   
Miyuki huffed as Natsumi's chin fell against her shoulder, giggling  
inanely. "You're not going to put me off that easily, however."  
  
Natsumi sat up, a hurt expression on her face as she fought to  
keep her balance, eventually losing the battle as she slumped back   
against the mattress. "Mi...yu...ki... You're so cruel to me.   
Teasing me like that." She giggled a little, then went silent,   
staring at the ceiling, her expression sober, belying her drunken  
actions. "They're just dreams, you know. Nothing serious." She  
whispered, eventually. "Nothing to do with that girl, really. I   
mean, dreams are just your mind's way of sorting through the   
garbage. They don't really mean anything at all, even though they  
can hurt you, sometimes. Affect your entire day. They don't have  
some deep, hidden agenda, right?" She peered up at Miyuki, who   
remained silent. "I mean, you're the logical one, so you should  
understand what I'm talking about. As irrational as I am, I really  
don't have the time for such things as dreams. I mean...." Then  
she started giggling again. "Sorry, that was the booze talking. I  
really need some sleep. The room is starting to do cartwheels.   
Have Yoriko and Aoi left yet? I really should say goodbye. It   
would be rude if I don't."  
  
"They've already left." Miyuki whispered. Natsumi clicked  
her tongue.  
  
"Well how do you like that. Without even telling me! The  
nerve of that pair." She made to get up. "I have the right mind  
to chase them down and DEMAND that they say goodbye to me." She  
paused, feeling suddenly giddy. "On second thoughts, I think I'll  
be just fine right here." And she fell back against the bed,   
muttering to herself. "Nothing to do with that girl. Nothing at   
all."  
  
Miyuki sighed and stood from the bed, stepping back to the   
door. She wasn't going to get much that was intelligible out of  
Natsumi this night. Better in the morning, or at work. More likely  
at work.... After binges like this, Natsumi never arrived on time.  
With one last look at her partner, she said.... "Night, Natsumi."  
  
"G'night, Captain...." Natsumi hugged the remaining pillow,   
giggling. "Be gentle with me." Miyuki rolled her eyes.  
  
"And make sure you sleep under the covers. Understand? UNDER  
the covers."  
  
----o  
  
Usagi, for the first time in many years, had managed to force  
herself to go to bed at a reasonable hour. Most of this was due   
almost entirely to the fact that she was so absorbed in doting on  
Miki. And with the girl so lacking in energy, it wasn't long after  
dinner, and an abridged explanation of what had happened with the  
gentleman at the front door, that she was making noises about going  
back to sleep, her eyes drooping and her head tipping forward.   
Setsuna managed to time a well-placed hand to stop Miki's head   
crashing down upon the table, which is what brought things to   
everyones' ultimate attention.  
  
Setsuna excused herself at that point, saying her goodbyes and  
giving Usagi a wink as she went out the front door. Then, after a  
short bath, where Usagi spent much of her time trying to stop Miki   
dozing off within the warmth of the soothing waters, they donned   
their bedclothes and Usagi carried the girl upstairs and into her   
bedroom, giving Shingo a parting shot about the way he would treat  
visitors. Shingo muttered something under his breath, tramping back  
to his bedroom as Usagi closed the door behind her.  
  
It was at this point that Usagi found her bed had been short-  
sheeted, presumably by Shingo. The bottom sheet was folded over to  
appear as if it were the top sheet, not giving Usagi enough room to  
slip both Miki and herself into the bed. Usagi only JUST managed to  
contain her annoyance, as she placed Miki a chair on the other side  
of the room and fixed up the sabotage, finding the original topsheet  
underneath the bed. Shingo was going to PAY the next day, however.  
  
Moments later, she was in the bed, lights off, with Miki   
snuggling up beside her, the girl trying to use as much of Usagi's  
bodywarmth as possible. Usagi was shocked at how cold the girl's   
body actually was. She understood how unwell Miki had been all her  
life, but it never really dawned on her, the kinds of physical   
effects her condition had on her. Miki hadn't professed any   
discontent, earlier, so she had to have been used to such a low body  
temperature. Still, it was worrying.  
  
"G'night, Mama...." Miki whispered, more asleep than awake.   
Usagi smiled and snuggled down underneath the covers, the sounds of  
the household quietening as time passed, her eyelids becoming heavy   
as she held Miki to her. And then....  
  
----o  
  
  
From the Personal Journal of Neo Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
  
Early to bed, early to rise.... It makes a person healthy,   
wealthy... and immeasurably boring. Which is why I've made it my  
life's ambition to get up late, every day.  
  
There have been a few distractions in the process of sleep,  
however, and some of them have been rather.... unusual, for want of  
a better word.  
  
  
----o  
  
....She opened her eyes, smacking her lips together as she   
prepared to snuggle down even further, only to find that she wasn't  
lying back under the covers any more. In fact, she was now sitting  
in a large chair, in front of a mirror. A very elaborate mirror, at  
that, the kind that her parents could never even begin to think   
about affording it. Before the mirror lay a dressing table, with   
hair clips and combs lying over it, cast there as if dropped without  
much in the way of thought.  
  
Nearby was a small jewel box, open, revealing its gleaming  
contents to her. Simple as they looked, they captured her attention  
like few such items ever had. Upon closer inspection, leaning over  
to pick up the box, she could see the complexity etched into every  
line and pattern on them. Earrings, pendants, necklaces, brooches,  
rings, chains and such, and she recognised every single one of them.  
Only, she had never seen them before, but then, she had. It was a  
most confusing sensation to experience. She lowered a hand into the  
box, touching the jewellery, feeling the resonance of the rare   
metals that they were made of. There was some silver, some gold,   
some platinum and others she had never seen before, and stones of  
exquisite patterns and colours. She'd seen this kind of stuff, in  
the snobbiest of jewelers.... The VERY snobbiest of jewelers, in  
fact. So snobby that they even considered whether certain customers  
were worth letting in their front door, something she'd never been  
able to do unless it had been with Naru and her mother. She was   
not, in their eyes, a "lady of substance".  
  
The thought made her almost toss the box back onto the   
dressing table. In a way, she actually found it hard to cop such  
elements of luxury. She'd spent so much of her time trying to live  
the life of a normal girl, that having anything out of the ordinary  
in her possession almost felt embarrassing. She looked up into the  
mirror, huffing as she did so, wondering what the hell was going on,  
when she came close to falling out of her chair. "What the heck?"  
She leaned forward, staring boggle-eyed at the image of Serenity,   
looking back at her with equal disbelief. Her hair, although not  
done up in its usual manner, had more of the silvery glow than her  
traditional golden blonde. In fact, it was hanging in loose waves,  
as if she had just climbed out of bed. That was it, of course, she  
had to be dreaming. She knew she'd eaten too much before she went  
to bed.... "Had to have been the carrots." She mumbled to herself  
as she leaned back in the chair, feeling a little dazed, brushing  
down the front of the silken white gown she was wearing. She sighed  
again. She never wore these gowns, ever. Couldn't stand the   
things, all light and white and fragile and pure-looking and cold.  
And bloody-well expensive. Right now, though, it didn't really seem  
to matter all that much. In a few moments she was going to wake up  
and....  
  
"Uuuhuhuhuhuhuuuu...." The slightly stifled chuckle came from  
behind her. She'd heard that laugh before and closed her eyes. Oh   
no, not again. Not HER. Placing her face in one of her hands, she  
turned in her seat, staring across what was obviously a large   
private chamber to the elegant woman, dressed in an entirely   
elaborate gown the same colour as her own, standing with a sense of  
genteel quietness, a hand covering her smile just barely. She   
recognised every feature of the woman, for it was an older mirror of  
her own. Queen Serenity, her mother. She cringed and slid down in  
the seat, hoping the ceiling fell on her head. "What is wrong, my  
daughter?" The Queen asked. "Are you not happy to see me?"  
  
"The only times I ever see you are when I'm in an immense   
state of trouble." Usagi mumbled, sinking even lower in the seat,  
to the point where she'd achieved the kind of position professional  
contortionists had spent years attaining. "What are you going to  
warn me about, this time? Is the hole in the ozone layer about to  
explode? There isn't much I can do about that right now. Right   
now, of course. I have my best scientists working on it. When I   
get some scientists, that is." A few moments of silence were   
followed by soft footsteps, padding across the thickly-carpeted   
floor, towards her. She peered upwards as she detected the Queen's  
shadow falling across her face, her expression looking slightly   
hurt.  
  
"You mustn't think much of me." The Queen sighed. "I haven't  
been able to be the best of mothers of late. I have had my reasons,  
of course. Being dead is certainly a contributing factor." She   
wagged a finger in the air, looking thoughtful. "The amount of   
energy it takes to appear also mitigates against regular visits,   
except during the direst emergencies."  
  
"That's the bit that worries me." Usagi sniffed, feeling a   
little glum. The Queen reached down and caressed her face with a   
gentle hand. Usagi looked up, amazed at the sensation. She could  
actually FEEL her touch. The sensation made her sit up. "Your   
body.... It's...."  
  
"Solid? Well, as solid as could be. It seems that you are  
generating an astonishing amount of spiritual energy, far in excess  
of your own needs." The Queen took her daughter by the hand and   
helped her to her feet. "Enough for a casual, wandering spirit like  
myself to manifest with ease. All those past times were quite a   
strain on my own reserves. This time I haven't even begun to tap   
them. Something has changed within you." She pointed a finger into  
her daughter's face. "I am here to see what that change has been."  
  
"This sounds bad." Usagi swallowed. "I refuse, absolutely,  
to be involved in a series of scientific tests. I hate test tubes  
and needles, they make me break out into hives." The Queen stared  
wide-eyed at her daughter, then broke out in fits of laughter,   
putting an arm around her daughter, leading her across the room.   
Usagi glanced back towards the chair. "Umm.... Where are we going?  
I'm not exactly in a state to go out, anywhere. Well, I guess I AM  
out, in a sense.... But walking around in public in a nightgown is   
kinda embarrassing, if you know what I mean?"  
  
"Never stopped you before." The Queen chuckled to herself as  
Usagi gave her strange looks. "Why don't you look in the mirror?"   
She turned Usagi towards the mirror, holding her shoulders   
protectively. Usagi's chin dropped to the floor.... She no longer  
looked as if she had just risen from bed.... Her hair was done, up  
in its traditional style, and she wore a fanciful brilliant blue   
cape over the top of a gown made of delicate white fabrics.... The   
kind of clothing she used to wear when she would travel in public.  
She looked down at the clothes, surprised that she didn't feel the  
change in their weight. Reaching up to her ears, she could feel a  
pair of drop earrings, jingling softly whenever she would move her  
head.  
  
"That's always been your problem." Usagi sighed.  
  
"What is?" The Queen leaned over her shoulder at her   
daughter, who glanced back at her with a cynical eyebrow slightly  
raised.  
  
"You always have to make a big production out of everything."  
Queen Serenity giggled as Usagi shrunk, feeling slightly overwhelmed  
by the experience.  
  
"Don't I just?" The Queen said as she guided Usagi around   
towards the doors of the chamber, both opening as if automatic.   
Usagi spent most of the time they walked through to the vast   
hallway, beyond, trying to find the sensor.  
  
"This is leading somewhere, isn't it?" Usagi turned back to  
her mother.  
  
"All paths lead somewhere." The Queen smiled, waving a hand  
at a confused-looking young woman, dressed in what appeared to be   
some kind of uniform, who just happened to be making her way down   
the corridor in the opposite direction. Usagi glanced at her,   
taking in the dark blue of the cape that covered her shoulders,   
adorned with badges on both shoulders with the emblem of the   
kingdom. Her short, dark hair seemed oddly out of place for the  
setting, however.  
  
"Who was that?" Usagi pointed back at the young woman as they  
entered an atrium, a high, well-lit dome above. Usagi stared at the  
dome with an open mouth.  
  
"Why do you want to know?" Queen Serenity brought her back to  
Earth.... Or the Moon, as the case may be.  
  
"Hmm?" Usagi blinked.  
  
"Why do you want to know who the young lady was? She is but a  
mere Guardolier." The Queen smiled, mischievously, making Usagi   
feel she was being lead on.  
  
"I may not remember much, but you never treated anyone as   
'mere', no matter what their status." Usagi glowered. "Are you   
trying to tell me something without telling me anything? That's   
Pluto's job." She paused. "Did you go to school together, or are  
you related?"  
  
"Which question do you want me to answer?"  
  
"All of them. In some kind of order." Usagi sighed with  
exasperation. "In such a way that I could understand, would be   
nice."  
  
"Yes, yes and no. In that order." Serenity gently guided  
Usagi through the atrium into the following corridor, which looked,  
for all the world, like the corridor they had just left, with Usagi  
silenced, trying to work out which answers went with which   
questions, having forgotten the order in which she had asked them.  
  
"Why do some people have to talk in riddles?" She muttered.  
"Anyway.... Umm...." She regained her thoughts. "About that young  
woman.... The 'Guardolier', you called her."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Do I know her? I seem to have seen her face quite a lot,   
recently, mostly in dreams."  
  
"Like this one?"  
  
Usagi scratched her head. "Yeah, kinda like this one." She  
giggled, nervously. "Anyway, have I met her before?"  
  
"Yes." The Queen nodded.  
  
"Ah...."  
  
"And no." The Queen nodded.  
  
"Ah...." Usagi turned away, then did a double-take. "Wha?"  
  
"She was one of your teachers in the ancient laws of the   
kingdom. Mostly the more glitzy aspects of its history, really....  
She had a penchant for the dramatic."  
  
"So, she wasn't a 'mere' Guardolier, then...."  
  
"No."  
  
"So why the double answer to my question. Have I met her or  
not?"  
  
"Yes. And no."  
  
"Thanks. That cleared up a lot." Usagi glowered. "Would you  
do your daughter a small favour and elaborate on things a little. I  
mean, we're related.... We should talk more deeply. More   
meaningfully." Usagi paused, crossing her arms and nodding. "We're  
all equals here. We all share the same basic goals and all. There  
is no need to hide anything from one another."  
  
Queen Serenity's smile disappeared from her face and she   
considered her daughter for a moment, making Usagi feel   
uncomfortable. "Then...." The Queen paused, then reached over to  
touch Usagi's face. "Why are you hiding this change, deep within?"  
  
"Change?" Usagi looked at Queen Serenity's fingers, feeling a  
little uncomfortable. She placed a hand on her chest. "I'm.. not  
hiding anything. That I aware of."  
  
"Awareness, in your case, is not always a conscious thing.   
You gave away some of your power to a beast born from darkness, yet  
felt none of the drain that that should have had on your system."  
  
"It wasn't that much. Really." Usagi swallowed. "It should  
only keep her going a few days, anyway, until we find her some   
alternative form of energy. Besides, the Ginzuishou magnifies the  
energy I give out, which would account for everything. Wouldn't   
it?"  
  
"Yes...." Queen Serenity took her hand away. "Yes. It   
might. But not in this case. The energy that beast received should  
keep her going for a month or more." Her tone became almost   
lecturing. "Besides the argument of supplying a creature like that  
with life energy. They are parasites, living off of others without  
giving anything in return."  
  
"But she isn't like that." Usagi clenched her fists, angrily.  
"Really. She's not like the other Youma. She's really different."  
  
"In your mind, yes. You forget, I have seen the darkness that  
dwells within the hearts of many. That darkness feeds on life like  
the Youma. A deep, insatiable appetite...." Her voice trailed off,  
then she snapped to. "Anyway, it is your decision. I am no longer  
in a position to tell you what to do, but I can guide you and advise  
you. That is why I am here. I have taken some interest in your   
recent activities, concerning the young girl, Takimi Miki."  
  
"Advise?" Usagi cleared her throat. "I'm doing a fine job  
looking after her, if you mind. Don't think, just because I'm   
younger than you, that I can't be as good a mother as you." Usagi  
puffed up her chest, trying to press her point. Queen Serenity was  
having none of it, though.  
  
"You're simply trying to prove something, not only to   
yourself, but to everyone around you." She wagged a finger in   
Usagi's face. "Trying to make up for the failures of the past.   
And it won't work, you know. You've done this before. I can show  
you, if you like, the disbalance that can occur between your concern  
for the individual and your role as a member of the royal line...."  
  
  
END OF PART 12  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Next Chapter.... "Rumbling Along"  
  
  
Naito Raida ikari@wantree.net.au  
  
if that address doesn't work, try  
ikari@chariot.net.au  
  
Don't ask why.... The changeover  
between Wantree and Chariot is a  
complex and bureaucratic issue that  
defies true explanation.... -_-;; 


	13. Not a God 13: Rumbling Along

Title: Not a God Part 13 (Version 1.0)  
Author: nIGHT rIDER  
Email: ikari@wantree.net.au  
Rating: G  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
Queen Serenity's smile disappeared from her face and she   
considered her daughter for a moment, making Usagi feel   
uncomfortable. "Then...." The Queen paused, then reached over to  
touch Usagi's face. "Why are you hiding this change, deep within?"  
  
"Change?" Usagi looked at Queen Serenity's fingers, feeling a  
little uncomfortable. She placed a hand on her chest. "I'm.. not  
hiding anything. That I aware of."  
  
"Awareness, in your case, is not always a conscious thing.   
You gave away some of your power to a beast born from darkness, yet  
felt none of the drain that that should have had on your system."  
  
"It wasn't that much. Really." Usagi swallowed. "It should  
only keep her going a few days, anyway, until we find her some   
alternative form of energy. Besides, the Ginzuishou magnifies the  
energy I give out, which would account for everything. Wouldn't   
it?"  
  
"Yes...." Queen Serenity took her hand away. "Yes. It   
might. But not in this case. The energy that beast received should  
keep her going for a month or more." Her tone became almost   
lecturing. "Besides the argument of supplying a creature like that  
with life energy. They are parasites, living off of others without  
giving anything in return."  
  
"But she isn't like that." Usagi clenched her fists, angrily.  
"Really. She's not like the other Youma. She's really different."  
  
"In your mind, yes. You forget, I have seen the darkness that  
dwells within the hearts of many. That darkness feeds on life like  
the Youma. A deep, insatiable appetite...." Her voice trailed off,  
then she snapped to. "Anyway, it is your decision. I am no longer  
in a position to tell you what to do, but I can guide you and advise  
you. That is why I am here. I have taken some interest in your   
recent activities, concerning the young girl, Takimi Miki."  
  
"Advise?" Usagi cleared her throat. "I'm doing a fine job  
looking after her, if you mind. Don't think, just because I'm   
younger than you, that I can't be as good a mother as you." Usagi  
puffed up her chest, trying to press her point. Queen Serenity was  
having none of it, though.  
  
"You're simply trying to prove something, not only to   
yourself, but to everyone around you." She wagged a finger in   
Usagi's face. "Trying to make up for the failures of the past.   
And it won't work, you know. You've done this before. I can show  
you, if you like, the disbalance that can occur between your concern  
for the individual and your role as a member of the royal line...."  
  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
BISHOUJO SENSHI SAILORMOON / TAIHO SHICHAUZO  
NOT A GOD  
by nIGHT rIDER (Assistance by DDFA)  
  
Disclaimer - all characters pertaining to the series Bishoujo Senshi  
Sailormoon and Taiho Shichauzo are owned by Takeuchi Naoko,   
Fujishima Kosuke, Bandai, TBS, and Kodansya. All other characters   
were thought up by me. Well, it's true, isn't it?  
  
Chapter 13  
Rumbling Along  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
Natsumi wished she had restrained herself from drinking so   
much. Now the dreams were even more lucid than before, and she had  
seen two versions of that girl, wandering past her. One even   
acknowledged her this time.... Where did all those Kawasaki ZX9R's  
and Triumph Super 3 Daytona's go when she really needed them?  
  
She had to get a grip. Next thing she knew, she was going to  
be having regression therapy to find her life's past traumas.... Of  
course, she was sure she'd found most of them, already.  
  
She stopped at one of the various atriums that seemed to dot  
the length of the hallway and stared upward at the dome. The   
artistry that had gone into the carvings that ran along the boundary  
between the dome and the ceiling, and up into the pit of the dome,   
was supremely intricate.... Certainly more intricate than anything  
she had ever seen, even within various government buildings. The  
Police Ministry building had had a huge dome within its front   
entrance atrium, but that seemed rather dull and lifeless in   
comparison to the architecture on display, here. But then, that was  
more of a utilitarian copy of something great. This was the real  
thing.  
  
She allowed her gaze to lower, following the frescoes that   
dropped from where they were precariously hung, to their bases only  
feet from the busts and statues that ran along the hallway walls.   
The frescoes were, at least in her estimation, not all that   
impressive.... Very simple designs and patterns, deliberately set  
out to be rather inconspicuous. Despite the apparent importance of   
the building she was in, it was clear that people did NOT spend   
their time in these corridors to admire its appearance. Or, at the  
very least, the owners of the building wanted it to be impressive to  
the occasional outsider, but certainly not ostentatious. Maybe they  
were embarrassed about showing their wealth.... A bit of a wasted  
effort, really, considering everything else.  
  
She crossed her arms, then noticed the cape she was wearing,  
covering over what appeared to be a navy blue uniform. She held up  
her arms staring at the clothes, wondering why she'd not really   
remarked upon it, earlier. Probably too much of an information   
overload for her to deal with it. Even within her dreams, she was  
stuck in a position of authority. She tried to read the insignia on  
the shoulder of the cape, but it was written in a language she had  
not seen, before. Not that it would have mattered if she HAD seen  
and understood what language it was, since she was patently pathetic  
at any language other than Japanese. MODERN Japanese, at that. She  
put a hand to her head and groaned, feeling like she was developing  
a monumental migraine, and looked around for somewhere to rest a   
bit. Rest a bit.... now there was a laugh. She was dreaming that   
she needed somewhere to rest.... A state of mind that was almost  
self-defeating.  
  
Fortunately, there was a small chair, planted within one of   
the small alcoves in the corner of the atrium. It was a very simple   
chair, almost out of place in the vastness of its surroundings, and  
she wondered why it should have even been there. There certainly   
seemed to be no reason for it, although she could imagine that, with  
the size of the building, some people would find the distances   
between destinations rather exhausting. But still, she hadn't seen  
any other chairs in the other atriums. She rolled her eyes and   
wandered towards it, realising that she was using too much of her  
limited mental energy just thinking about it.  
  
As she approached the centre of the atrium, represented on the  
marble floor by a spoked wheel pattern, she could hear running   
footsteps, approaching quickly. She turned to her left and could   
see a figure approaching, running with an air of desperation. There  
were other figures behind the first, all dressed in the same uniform  
she was wearing. The situation seemed strangely familiar to her, as  
she turned to face the figure, now entering to atrium.  
  
The figure was not looking her way, but back towards the   
pursuers, allowing Natsumi to put out her arm and clean them up as  
they passed her. The figure was collected across the head and went  
flying, feet first, onto the floor with a sickening crash. Natsumi  
turned and looked down at the dazed figure, surprised to find that   
it was a young boy, perhaps no more than ten or eleven years old,  
wearing nothing more than rags for clothes. She stepped alongside  
him and knelt down, finding a small cloth sack beside him, having   
been dropped in his fall. She opened up the sack and stared at the  
contents.  
  
They weren't all that spectacular, but they had to be worth  
something.... Opals, barely worked upon, but still quite beautiful.  
She ran a finger through the bag, staring at the various colours of  
each, then looking down at the dazed boy. "I don't know where you  
got these from, boyo, but I don't think you can claim ownership, do  
you?" She closed the bag and pulled its string-tie tightly,   
standing as the uniformed figures arrived.  
  
"Well done, Third Guardolier." The leader of the three   
uniformed figures, a tall woman with blond hair and green eyes,   
gestured to her two companions, who immediately ran up to the boy  
and lifted him to his feet, pulling his arms behind his back and  
cuffing him. One of the two then dragged the dazed boy away as the  
leader took Natsumi by the hands, smiling broadly. "We've been   
having trouble with thieves in the palace, lately.... Not sure how  
and where they're getting in. They're so quick, we haven't been  
able to catch one.... Until now." She shook Natsumi's hands so  
hard that Natsumi was almost jumping in time.  
  
"Aha... Ahahahahaha...." Natsumi giggled nervously. "No  
problem. It's...." She paused, remembering her uniform, and how  
the woman had addressed her. "It's my job, after all."  
  
"Commandeer, I've received a message from the investigators."  
The second deputy held the collar of her cloak to her ear, listening  
to the communication device clipped there. "They say it is possible  
that there was more than one in the workshop. Quite a bit of raw  
material was taken."  
  
The Commandeer turned from Natsumi to her deputy. "Well, what  
should have we expected? Anyway, with this one in our grasp, we can  
find out where they're coming from, and who is organising these   
theft runs." She paused, then pointed at both Natsumi and the   
deputy. "Anyway, we know there was another one in the Gallery.   
Second, Third Guardoliers, I want you both to go in through the west  
entrance. With any luck, we shall be able to close off that one's  
escape routes." She snapped her fingers. "Quickly now." And with  
that, she turned with a flourish of her cape and followed the other  
deputy.  
  
Natsumi scratched the top of her head, wondering where the   
hell the west entrance to the Gallery, whatever it was, would be.   
She turned to the deputy, the Second Guardolier, as the Commandeer  
had addressed her, hoping to be given some guidance, when her jaw   
hit the floor. "Uhh.... Uhhh uhhh..."  
  
"The Palisade is the shortest route there." The Second   
Guardolier brushed her braided pigtail over her shoulder before  
noticing the way Natsumi was looking at her. "What is it?"  
  
"Mi... Miyuki...?" Natsumi swallowed, pointing at the Second  
Guardolier in an almost accusatory fashion. The Second Guardolier  
frowned and placed two fingers over her mouth, as if warding off  
something.  
  
"Please don't use that name in such a public place.   
Familiarity between Guardoliers is considered socially unacceptable.  
At least while on duty." She then gripped Natsumi's arm and started  
to drag her along one of the hallways. "You should know this, of   
course. But then, you have never been one to follow convention,   
have you Third Guardolier."  
  
"Yeah, whatever you say." Natsumi's world was starting to   
spin. Definitely too much information trying to be processed for   
her poor brain to deal with.  
  
----o  
  
The residence had gone quiet, and dark. Arimus wondered if  
it had something to do with the 'sleep' that the Sailorsenshi, who  
had been placed to guard her, had told her about. She found the  
concept of sleep difficult to understand, and had asked her about  
it.  
  
Apparently, humans spent a good portion of their life in a  
state of unconsciousness. Arimus found this concept rather odd, as  
it made them vulnerable to attack from any quarter. Granted, Youma  
had their moments of dormancy, but they never allowed themselves to  
be in a position where they could be caught unawares.  
  
And to add to her confusion, the Sailorsenshi had caused the  
residence to be cast into darkness, with the flick of a switch, thus  
making it possible for any enemy to creep up on her within the   
shadows. It also made a potential battleground that much more   
difficult to work in. Humans were so contradictory.  
  
Now Arimus was alone, sitting on the loungesuite, covered in  
the blanket that the Sailorsenshi had given her. There was also a  
soft, rectangular-shaped object that she was supposed to put her   
head against. So she tried, only for the Sailorsenshi to laugh at  
her efforts. Apparently she was supposed to be lying down upon the  
loungesuite before she did so, which was simply unthinkable. Better  
to be sitting up, in case a threat made a sudden entrance.  
  
Still, the Sailorsenshi could have left the propaganda device  
on. Arimus was just getting into some of the shows when she turned  
it off on her. Apparently, it was making too much noise, and she  
couldn't sleep. This left Arimus with little to do but sit up and  
stare at the strange symbols, lit up in soft green, on the small   
rectangle box sitting on a table on the other side of the room. The  
symbols kept changing, with no discernible pattern except the period  
that had passed since the last change. Perhaps the Sailorsenshi was  
using the device to observe her behaviour, recording her actions for  
future reference.  
  
She pulled the blanket tightly over her head, shying away from  
the object. She had been observed by such devices before, usually  
for horrible means. In the Dark Kingdom there were many horrors for  
a Youma to face. Hatred comes easy to one who has never known true  
freedom, and happiness was something entirely unheard of. Much of   
her existence was spent having distrust of humans drilled into her,  
and despite their apparent lack of hostility towards her, she still  
could not truly bring herself to believing that they meant her no  
harm. There had never been a time when she had been free of people  
trying to harm her.  
  
Slowly, silently, she slinked off the loungesuite, blanket   
still draped over her, and made her way, crab-like, across the floor  
towards an open doorway, her eyes fixed on the object at all times.  
It did not move, nor did the symbols change, in that time, and she  
shot through the doorway, surprised to find that the softness of the  
lounge's carpeted floor had been replaced by a cold, hard surface.  
  
She turned and almost faded to dust on the spot. In the   
middle of the room sat a huge four-legged creature, surrounded by  
smaller four-legged beasts. A mother and its children? She watched  
the creatures for a while, and eventually decided that they meant   
her no harm, since they didn't move an inch. Probably as afraid of  
her as she had been of them, especially the way the young ones were  
snuggling up underneath the mother.  
  
She moved her gaze to the other denizens of the room. There   
was a large white object, humming to itself, sitting in the corner.  
It didn't seem all that intimidated by her presence, either, and she  
skittled across the floor towards it, allowing herself an   
exploratory touch of its front. It felt cold and hard, not like a  
living creature at all. She'd seen Youma like this before, but this  
was obviously NOT a Youma.... she couldn't feel any life energy   
entering her fingers, just a steady, crackling buzz. Electricity,   
she knew.... Her touch was draining the energy from the object,   
involuntarily, and she removed her hand, hoping she hadn't done it  
too much damage.  
  
She waited for a bit, but it continued to hum as it had done.  
Satisfied that everything was alright, she studied its surface, and  
became interested in a protrusion on the front. It was a different  
colour from the rest of the machine.... A kind of mottled brown  
rather than the flat white of the rest of its surface. She reached  
up and rocked the protrusion to see if it would move, and fell back  
as the object became angry, throwing its entire front at her.  
  
She could feel its cold breath bearing down upon her as she  
huddled underneath the blanket, peering out through a small hole as  
the entire room was lit up by some energy beam. After about half a  
minute of nothing happening, she lifted her head from the blanket  
and stared at what lay within the object. There were little silver  
steps, rising from a solid box-like object in the base, all   
containing smaller objects that appeared to be the object's last   
meal. There were even little pockets on the inside of its front,  
filled with other items. And she could smell strange aromas   
emanating from these objects, the likes of which she had never  
experienced.  
  
Crawling forward, bravely, she knelt in front of the opening  
and placed a hand on one of the objects, sitting on the middle step.  
It was round and clear with a red top and seemed to contain   
something red and mottled within. She picked it out of the object  
and sniffed it, feeling a little uncomfortable at how cold it was.  
Youma had been kept in cold like this, usually the keep them in  
manageable numbers until they were needed. Perhaps this was the  
same process?  
  
She tapped the transparent sides of the object, then the top.  
The two were made of distinctly different substances, one metallic  
and the other something she couldn't quite work out. Whatever the  
case, it was obvious that they weren't permanently joined. She   
tried pulling on the top to see what would happen, but it remained  
where it was. Disappointed, she was about to put it back when she  
brushed the edge of the top with her other hand, and it made a   
clicking noise. Before she knew it, the top was free of its   
mounting and was clattering on the floor.  
  
She hadn't had time to feel frightened before she could smell  
the contents of the clear container. A sweet, yet somehow savory   
aroma that she clearly identified as a foodstuff. Youma rarely ate.   
Life energy was what sustained them. But occasionally they would be   
forced to supplant the energy with food.  
  
She placed a finger into the foodstuff and scooped out a small  
quantity, sniffing her catch before placing it into her mouth. She  
sucked every portion of the substance off and rolled it around after  
removing her finger, allowing the flavour to properly register. It  
didn't seem too bad, having a sweet yet slightly musty flavour, with  
a very pasty consistency. It was too sweet, however, to consume all  
on its own, and was obviously meant to be had with something else,   
of greater substance.  
  
She stared into the innards of the white beast and spied some  
small, round-looking things. She took one and studied it, feeling  
its soft yet slightly crumbly flesh, which came away in tiny lumps,  
bouncing across the floor. She took one of the broken edges and   
pulled it away. Underneath the flesh was a porous, webbed interior  
that seemed to make up the bulk of the object. Whatever the case,  
considering its advanced state of decomposition, it wasn't going to  
be too concerned about being eaten.  
  
She shoved one end of the object into the container of paste,  
scooping out quite a large quantity. She then lifted up and bit   
that end of the object, tearing away a large lump and chewing on it,  
silently, as crumbs fell freely from the corner of her mouth. It   
was satisfactory, although she was disappointed at the lack of blood  
within the flesh of the dead creature. Indeed, she began to doubt  
the object had ever been alive at all.  
  
Tossing the half-eaten object aside, she started to explore,   
more deeply, the storehouse of goodies within the white beast....  
  
----o  
  
  
From the Personal Journal of Neo Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
  
There is a story, passed down through the generations of a  
particular family, survivors of the destruction of the Silver   
Millennium, that told of a young boy, who grew up to be the patriach  
of the family, and the day he met the Princess of the Moon Kingdom.  
It is, perhaps, sad that this story faded with time, as all things  
do.... Even the existence of the Moon Kingdom, itself, became   
nothing more than a succession of fables, garbled in their message  
due mostly to the fact that their retelling was down to oral   
tradition before written texts were established. The Human Race  
spent many thousands of years without rediscovering the secret of  
paper and print, and the memory cheats its user more than any   
faculty humans are born with.  
  
The only reason I know of this story is due to what my   
mother.... That is, Queen Serenity, told me during the moments of  
sleep. That and many other stories, a great many of which I hadn't  
known even in my past life. There really are times when I wish   
she'd been a little more forthcoming. It's not like she didn't have  
the time, back then, to blurt all of this out. She just didn't know  
how LITTLE time she had.  
  
Anyway, the story went thus.... Just prior to war breaking   
out, the Dark Kingdom were sending out raiding parties, attacking  
villages and townships in every quarter of the solar system that had  
been inhabited. One such village, which lay in what is now the   
southern tip of Norway, had been so badly razed that there were few  
survivors.  
  
One of those survivors was a young boy, no more than two to   
three years old. Both his mother and father had been butchered by  
the forces of the Dark Kingdom before his eyes, and it was only his  
small size that had spared his life, hiding from the attackers in a   
gap between houses that only a child could have managed.  
  
When soldiers from the kingdom had arrived, it was too late to  
save a large number of the populace, and the boy had remained hidden  
for several days, so traumatised by his experiences that he'd lost   
the ability to tell the difference between enemy and friend. Anyone  
who carried a weapon was a potential threat in his eyes. In the   
end, however, he was destined to be discovered by someone, and it   
was fortuitous that it was one of the relief workers to the   
township.  
  
Presenting less a threat than one of the soldiers, the relief  
worker had managed to coax the frightened boy from his hideaway and  
gain enough of his trust to take him back to the relief hospital.   
There, his injuries, although few, were treated, as those in charge  
of the relief decided upon his and the other survivors' fates.  
  
As the boy had not any known living relatives (at that stage,  
anyway) he was shipped from the town to an orphanage in a larger  
population centre.... A trade port in what is now Andalucia. This  
was fortunate as, at that time, the port was receiving its first-  
ever visitation by a member of the royal court, of the Silver   
Millennium. The Princess Serenity.... Me, in other words. Well,   
it was a surprise to me. I've never been out of Japan, excluding  
one or two moments where necessity called, let alone to a region of  
Spain.  
  
Anyway, for some odd reason part of my itinerary included the  
orphanage. Well it would, wouldn't it? Can't be seen to be a snob  
or anything. Personally, I couldn't see myself avoiding such   
things, since I'd rather be spending my time with kids at an   
orphanage than snobby, stuck-up, self-important dignitaries who   
wouldn't know a real person if one dropped on them. And there were  
quite a few of them around in those days, believe me. Give someone  
just a whiff of power or authority and watch it go to their heads.  
Actually, it's probably not much different today, but I digress....  
  
I wandered through the orphanage, being guided by my own   
carers.... as if I really needed looking after.... and those in   
charge of the institution, being shown the living conditions of the  
children and such. The orphanage was not simply housing for   
children without relatives, it was also a hospital and, sometimes,  
a legal housing center for children in trouble with the law, or who  
were involved in legal cases such as child custody during parental  
divorce.  
  
It didn't really seem to matter what reason the children were  
in the orphanage, though, they all gravitated towards me like little  
human magnets, each of them wanting to see, if not touch, a member   
of 'royalty'. From one room to the next, even. You'd think this   
would get a little old, eventually, but I was a fairly open person,  
and saw each and every one of the children as important.  
  
  
Anyway, it was when I had been guided into one of the   
playrooms, and suitably surrounded by a gaggle of young children,   
all holding out gifts of flowers and whatsoever else they had been   
instructed to give, that I noticed the boy who had survived the  
massacre of his village, holding back in the corner of the main   
room. He didn't seem interested in greeting me at all, and as my  
time in the playroom passed, had sunk into a small ball, his hands  
wrapped tightly over the top of his head, facing the wall.  
  
I asked one of those in charge of the playgroup about the boy,  
and was told about his story. Well, what do you think I did then,   
hmm? I do have a reputation to keep up, although I didn't know, at   
that time, what I was getting myself into. I'd never encountered an  
orphan of, what could be considered in retrospect, war, before, and  
was not experienced in the kind of post-traumatic stress exhibited  
by those who survive such events. Even before I approached the boy,  
I was warned by not only those in charge of the orphanage, but my   
own bodyguards, that his reaction to my presence might be....   
unexpected and unnatural.  
  
But did I listen to them? Oh nooooo.... I'm Princess   
Serenity, right? Everyone KNOWS I mean them no harm. Well, after  
kneeling down and placing a hand on his shoulder, he turned in   
fright and sank his teeth into my fingers. I spent the next few  
minutes trying to stop people mobbing him whilst simultaneously   
sucking my fingers in a vain attempt to relieve the pain....  
  
  
END OF PART 13  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Next Chapter.... "Waking Up is Hard To Do" ^_^  
  
  
Naito Raida ikari@wantree.net.au  
  
if that address doesn't work, try  
ikari@chariot.net.au  
  
Don't ask why.... The changeover  
between Wantree and Chariot is a  
complex and bureaucratic issue that  
defies true explanation.... -_-;; 


	14. Not a God 14: Waking Up is Hard to Do

Title: Not a God Part 14 (Version 1.0)  
Author: nIGHT rIDER  
Email: ikari@wantree.net.au  
Rating: G  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
From the Personal Journal of Neo Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
  
Anyway, it was when I had been guided into one of the  
playrooms, and suitably surrounded by a gaggle of young children,  
all holding out gifts of flowers and whatever else they had been  
instructed to give, that I noticed the boy who had survived the  
massacre of his village, holding back in the corner of the main  
room. He didn't seem interested in greeting me at all, and as my  
time in the playroom passed, had sunk into a small ball, his hands  
wrapped tightly over the top of his head, facing the wall.  
  
I asked one of those in charge of the playgroup about the boy,  
and was told about his story. Well, what do you think I did then,  
hmm? I do have a reputation to keep up, although I didn't know, at  
that time, what I was getting myself into. I'd never encountered an  
orphan of, what could be considered in retrospect, war, before, and  
was not experienced in the kind of post-traumatic stress exhibited  
by those who survive such events. Even before I approached the boy,  
I was warned by not only those in charge of the orphanage, but my  
own bodyguards, that his reaction to my presence might be....  
unexpected and unnatural.  
  
But did I listen to them? Oh nooooo.... I'm Princess  
Serenity, right? Everyone KNOWS I mean them no harm. Well, after  
kneeling down and placing a hand on his shoulder, he turned in  
fright and sank his teeth into my fingers. I spent the next few  
minutes trying to stop people mobbing him whilst simultaneously  
sucking my fingers in a vain attempt to relieve the pain. Not what  
one would call the most regal moment in my existence.  
  
  
As one of my aides was trying to guide me away from the boy,  
one of the orphanage's workers grabbed him by the hair and lifted  
him to his feet, screaming and bawling. I turned to them and  
snapped, with about as much force as I could muster, which is not  
pleasant when you're at the receiving end, I'm lead to believe. Of  
course, the only way I could have experienced what it was like to  
face my own rage is when my mother would go off her tree, as she  
was (occasionally) capable of doing. I seem to remember one such  
moment when I was climbing a tree in the Palace gardens, but I  
digress.  
  
The worker let go of the boy in surprise, who then crawled  
back into the corner of the room and huddled as I surprised all  
with my grasp of expletives. I then thought twice and apologised,  
still quite annoyed with the woman, who was down on her knees  
begging for forgiveness. As if she expected to be executed for  
what she had done.  
  
I brushed her and my aides aside and went back to the boy, who  
had kept one tear-filled eye on what was going on. He watched me  
approach, his body stiffing with anticipation. I could feel, deep  
within me, the very distrust that he was feeling. A hatred of other  
people, given birth by bearing witness to things even I could not  
imagine in my deepest, darkest nightmares. The eye that kept a wary  
vigil on me was no longer the eye of a child, for no child in their  
right mind could express what was within him, merely in a glance.  
  
And still, I reached down to him, because, just as he seemed  
no longer capable of expressing the desire to connect with other  
humans, I could not allow myself to let someone.... anyone.... to  
sink into such a deep, horrible abyss of pain and emotional despair.  
I knew no differently.  
  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
BISHOUJO SENSHI SAILORMOON / TAIHO SHICHAUZO  
NOT A GOD  
by nIGHT rIDER (Assistance by DDFA)  
  
Disclaimer - all characters pertaining to the series Bishoujo Senshi  
Sailormoon and Taiho Shichauzo are owned by Takeuchi Naoko,  
Fujishima Kosuke, Bandai, TBS, and Kodansya. All other characters  
were thought up by me. Well, it's true, isn't it?  
  
Chapter 14  
Waking Up is Hard to Do  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
From the Personal Journal of Neo Queen Serenity  
(Tsukino Usagi I)  
  
6/29/98  
  
  
Wrapped within the protection of my arms, the boy seemed to  
be dozing off, as if he had never been able to sleep since his  
ordeal had begun.  
  
There had once been an occasion where Mars had described me  
as the kind of person who tended to take in stray animals,  
especially after they flashed their big, doe-like eyes at me or  
made little whining/whimpering/mewling noises. Well, I did befriend  
Rei, so she was probably right.  
  
The boy was not some pathetic, starving, cute little animal.  
Well, he certainly wasn't all that cute, as my fingers could attest  
to, but I could just see everyone's faces when I brought him back  
into the Palace. "Oh no, not ANOTHER one?" They'd say. "Don't  
you ever, ever, EVER give up?" Even worse, what mother would say to  
me. I mean, what could I say? "Sorry Mom. It followed me home, so  
can I keep it?" I don't think so, somehow.  
  
I let things slide, though. Better to deal with the hard  
stuff when I got home. It was still a couple of days before my  
personal transport arrived at the Guardian Satellite, the last  
stopover navigation point before the final descent to the Moon.  
  
  
I had always found something comforting about the silence of  
travel between the worlds and stations. There were teleports, of  
course, which had made the process of travelling and transportation  
of trade that much easier, but I despised the sensation of being  
ripped from one place and thrown into another. It denied you the  
ability to feel the passing time and space that comes with actually  
being physically moved. For all the good that teleports had done,  
they had all the sensual subtlety of a brick through a window.  
  
No, the ability to just lie back, glancing out a port at an  
approaching orb or station.... The feeling of micro gravity and  
positive weightlessness.... The momentum of the vessel, the light  
emanating from the engines and navigation beacons.... Now THAT is  
what I call travelling. I could fall asleep, gently shaken by the  
rumbling of the vessel, constant and predictable, it came as no  
surprise that the boy, never having experienced these sensations,  
should give in to them as I so often did. Despite the misgivings  
he seemed to express earlier about being snatched from the  
surroundings of the orphanage by a young woman he didn't know. He  
quickly got the hang of NOT being in the orphanage, however, and I  
wasn't all that surprised. Even though the constancy of the  
orphanage had given him a sense of stability that he had lost in  
his short life, the possibility of something BETTER is quite a  
strong lure.  
  
It had also been a long time since I had traveled with anyone  
aboard my transport. Not since I was a child have I had the  
pleasure of another's company.  
  
----o  
  
The West Entrance of the Gallery was not what Natsumi had been  
expecting. Something with a name like 'West Entrance' gave her the  
impression of something important and official, especially when  
attached to concepts like 'Gallery'. She had not been able to glean  
any information from Miyuki, whatsoever, as to what this Gallery  
might be, or even where it was and to whom it belonged. But still,  
given everything else she had seen in this dream, she was sure it  
had to be important.  
  
It wasn't. Well, not that much.  
  
The West Entrance looked a bit dark and dingy, like the  
doorway to an ancient dungeon. After following Miyuki, who resisted  
all attempts to make light conversation, along a succession of  
equally impressive hallways, they passed through an arch into what  
appeared to be an older part of the palacial structure. The halls  
were still impressive in Natsumi's estimation, but they were by no  
means as opulent as the others had been. It was a sign of a power  
on the rise.... Official buildings becoming more impressive over  
time, their older counterparts looking, quite frankly, crap in  
comparison.  
  
The smaller hall was like that found in older government  
buildings back home. Modestly high ceiling, with adornments only  
around light fittings. Pale green walls were interspersed with  
large, dark wooden doors, vaguely Victorian era in their finish and  
the little brass plates nailed into them, denoting their purpose  
and/or the owners of the room beyond.  
  
None of the doors were open, which surprised Natsumi. She had  
not seen a single bit of hustle and bustle anywhere within the  
palace.... Not even messengers and couriers, who might have been  
expected to be dashing all over, considering the distances. It was  
a little unnerving, although it was probably well after office  
hours. Well, OF COURSE it was after office hours.... She WAS  
dreaming all of this, for Ducati's sake.... She snorted to herself  
as they passed through another archway into an even older and less  
impressive part of the palace, making Miyuki.... The Second  
Guardolier, Natsumi had to remind herself, glance back in her  
direction quizzically.  
  
As they descended a flight of stairs towards what would  
ultimately turn out to be the West Entrance, Natsumi considered her  
longtime partner, and wondered why she would be dreaming her in such  
a haughty and distant manner. Was this version of Miyuki a  
caricature of the kind of person her subconscious envisioned her to  
be? To begin with, maybe Miyuki had a tendency to hold back about a  
lot of things, about her past and her personal life. Natsumi, on  
the other hand, was barely capable of even THINKING about holding  
back her thoughts and feelings on many a subject, most especially  
her past and her personal life. Indeed, she was incapable of  
holding back her thoughts and feelings about the personal lives of  
everyone around her, but that was another subject....  
  
  
Miyuki paused by the two ancient wooden doors that made up the  
West Entrance and ran a hand over them, slowly, studying them from  
up close. "What is it?" Natsumi leaned over her shoulder,  
quizzically.  
  
"There does not seem to be any sign of the doors being  
forced." Miyuki's face became thoughtful and she lifted her face to  
the top of the doorway, reaching up to feel the gap where the doors  
met the stonework. "The spirits of this place are quiet. They have  
not been disturbed for quite some time. Wherever the thieves are  
gaining access to the Gallery, tis not through here."  
  
"The spirits...." Natsumi began, then thought better of it,  
nodding with a smile as if she understood what Miyuki was talking  
about. Miyuki turned to her and gestured towards the door with a  
nod.  
  
"Well, it's up to you, now."  
  
"Eh?" Natsumi swallowed. Miyuki waited patiently, tapping a  
foot with some impatience.  
  
"Open the doors." Miyuki reached out a hand and pushed  
against the door. Even with all of her weight behind it, the doors  
refused to move an inch. Miyuki stopped and turned back to Natsumi.  
"Why do you think the Commandeer sent you with me? You're the one  
with the Spirit of Power within you. Only one with the right kind  
of spirit can communicate with the spirits of these doors.  
Otherwise they get, to use a vulgar form of vernacular, pissed off  
and refuse to allow people through until their dander wears down."  
  
"Oh, right then." Natsumi giggled, then turned to the door,  
completely perplexed as to what Miyuki expected her to do. "Well, I  
better open them, then."  
  
"Please do." Miyuki crossed her arms and waited as Natsumi  
cracked her knuckles and stepped up to the recalcitrant wooden  
objects. She flexed her muscles and slammed her hands against them,  
preparing to apply every bit of strength within her to push them  
apart, when she found herself flat on her face, the doors clanging  
against the walls as if they had been barged through by an elephant  
on steroids. Miyuki sighed and stepped over her partner into the  
rarely-used West Hall of the Palace Gallery. "Very good, Third  
Guardolier. Allow absolutely everyone in the Gallery know we're  
coming. All you had to do was push gently, but no...."  
  
Natsumi looked daggers at Miyuki's back as her partner  
silently padded along the small, dark hall that lead to an even  
darker, and obviously larger, room beyond. Picking herself up she  
glanced back at the doors, sourly, and was sure she could see large  
sweatdrops running down their sides. "Yes...." She whispered to  
herself. "I'd be sweating oceans too if I were you."  
  
"Sorry ma'am." Said one of the doors. "We saw you building  
up like that and, well, we didn't want to get hurt."  
  
"Yeah, it's been so long since we've been opened. I mean, our  
hinges need some oiling and all, and with that force behind you,  
well, it would have been real bad if we didn't get out of the way."  
  
"It'll be pink elephants next." Natsumi shook her head and  
followed Miyuki, stopping behind her partner before glancing back  
at the doors, her jaw hitting the floor. "Wait a minute, those  
doors, they just.... to me.... they just...."  
  
"Shhhhh." Miyuki turned to her. "I think I can hear someone  
talking within the Gallery. Right over on the far side, near the  
ancient fountain."  
  
Natsumi shrugged, trying to tell herself that this was only a  
dream.... Only a dream.... Only a dream.... "And I take it that  
there isn't supposed to be anyone in the Gallery right now?"  
  
"At this time of the morning? You're kidding me?" Miyuki  
rubbed her chin. "It sounds like two women, talking to each other."  
  
"Some of our own?" Natsumi quizzed, but Miyuki shook her  
head.  
  
"There isn't enough time for the others to have reached the  
Main Entrance. And whoever it is, they're apparently unconcerned  
about being discovered. They aren't expecting anyone to disturb  
them...."  
  
----o  
  
Usagi ran her fingers through the gently rippling waters of  
the ancient fountain, staring at her own distorted reflection. "He  
never left your side, you know? Not for years. Not until he was a  
young man. There were times when we thought he would come between  
Endymion and yourself, but...." Queen Serenity looked upwards at  
the large skylights that ringed the ceiling above the fountain.  
Beams of Earthlight, pale and ghostly, filtered through, giving the  
entire scene an almost eerie, unearthly feel. There were no other  
lights to speak of, only the light of the Earth.... One day to be  
the last sanctuary for humankind. Usagi followed her gaze,  
squinting at the orb above, seemingly huge in comparison to the  
usual reverse view of the moon from the Earth.  
  
"Was he happy?" Usagi asked, softly. "After all of that, did  
he manage to live a happy life?"  
  
"He left, eventually. It is the destiny of all those not born  
to our inheritance to find their own way." Serenity turned back to  
Usagi. "A life, on the world in which he was born. He married a  
servant girl from the palace and settled in what we would now call  
Ukraine. In times we would now regard as almost pre-historical."  
  
"Did he ever have children of his own?" Usagi found herself  
asking, as if the question was important to her. The glow of the  
Earth seemed to be filling her eyes ever brighter, dazzling her and  
making Serenity's voice seem as ethereal as it should have been.  
  
"Many many adopted children filled his life. Your influence,  
I'm afraid." Serenity smiled.  
  
Tears entered Usagi's eyes. "So he had no children of his  
own...." She swallowed, softly. "Too hard to get that close to  
people after everything he witnessed with his own eyes."  
  
"Oh no, he had several children of his own. And they had many  
children, too. And so on and so forth, so the pattern of life  
continues. Right until this very day, when two of distant  
descendants fall in love, get married and have a couple of children  
of their own."  
  
"Hmm?" Usagi turned to her, distractedly. "Who?"  
  
Serenity smiled, then looked into the darkness of the Gallery,  
distracted by something. Something moving, small and apparently  
frightened. "I'm afraid our time is over for now. Morning must  
come, even if, sometimes, we wish it would stay away forever."  
  
"But...." Usagi began, but Serenity waved a hand over her  
daughter's eyes, and the girl fell into a daze. Slowly, Serenity  
padded away from the side of the fountain, towards the cowered,  
huddled form in the darkness, leaving Usagi to fade into  
nothingness.  
  
"Come to me, child." Serenity gestured towards the figure in  
the darkness. "We must all take responsibility for our actions...."  
She smiled, perhaps a little sadly. "Sooner or later, we all do."  
  
----o  
  
The Gallery wasn't what Natsumi expected it to be. Somehow,  
she had visions of dreary classical art mixed with intractably  
obscure pieces of modern garbage that left you feeling as if the  
artist was simply taking the piss.  
  
Well, there WERE works of art in the Gallery, but every single  
one of them had a form, or a function, that wasn't simply to be  
there, taking up room. Vast sculptures that had once been an  
artistic effort at a water refining system for a well to do client,  
or a solar ray conversion generator, or a magnetic field totaliser  
and navigator, or an interstitial temporal instigator.... Or so all  
the different plaques said. Natsumi wasn't so sure, since she was  
too busy remarking on the fact that she was able to read something  
in a completely foreign language.... One she had never seen before.  
  
That and the fact that she was spending much of her time  
flitting to and from various works in the near-pitch black, slowly  
making her way towards the lighter end of the Gallery where the  
voices had come from, and trying her best to be inconspicuous, even  
though it made her feel extremely silly. Although it certainly  
helped that the situation was not all that unlike what she'd been  
trained to do as part of her normal daily routine as a cop.  
  
And Miyuki seemed to be enjoying it, obviously getting a real  
buzz out of all the cloak and dagger stuff. Well, at least some  
things about this version of Miyuki weren't so different. She  
stared across the Gallery, trying to make out Miyuki's figure, and  
wondered why her partner was finding it so easy to miss all the  
little things that she had tripped up over.  
  
Within seconds, she was grabbed from behind, a knife, or  
something very much like it, held across her throat. She hadn't  
even heard her assailant creep up from behind. "And that...." Said  
the figure. "....Is why you're still a Third Guardolier. What the  
hell are you doing, tripping up over everything in sight when you  
could be making it easy for yourself?" The figure lifted the cold  
object from Natsumi's throat and held it out in front of her. The  
'blade' of the knife had been the arm on a pair of what looked like  
shades, made of cold metal.  
  
"Thankyou very much, Miyuki. Would you mind not creeping up  
behind me like that?" She grabbed the shades and placed them over  
her eyes, as if it were something she did every day. Despite the  
fact that they were made of a solid metal, and therefore should have  
made things a little HARDER to see, the Gallery lit up like a  
Christmas tree. Natsumi opened her mouth in surprise as Miyuki  
gripped her by the ear, pulling her aside.  
  
"And I'd thankyou very much not to be so familiar with my  
name, THIRD Guardolier."  
  
"Owwoww.... No need to be so rough." Natsumi retrieved her  
ear as Miyuki let go, rubbing it as she watched her partner skittle  
across the floor of the Gallery like a manic crab. "Damn, girl, now  
you're just showing off. Where did you learn to do that?" She  
whispered, leaving the question rhetorical as she followed, trying  
to keep herself some distance away from her partner so that they  
could move in on their intended target in a pincer. If need be.  
  
Seconds later, she was dazzled. Something impossibly bright  
glimmered from nearby a fountain at the far end of the Gallery.  
Natsumi ripped off the night-vision shades and rubbed her eyes,  
cursing. This dream hurt. Why was a dream HURTING, for Kami's  
sake? Dreams weren't supposed to hurt, they weren't real. "Well,  
technically speaking...." Said a voice, whispering in her ear.  
"Dreams are but an input of information from your subconscious to  
your conscious mind, so if you THINK you're getting hurt, then you  
are, and you react accordingly. Except for the fact that, well,  
your body doesn't react, since it's been switched off. It would be  
a pain if the off switch didn't work, what do you think?"  
  
Natsumi opened her eyes, still slightly dazzled, to find  
herself nearby the fountain. Miyuki was in front of her, holding  
the figure of a young boy, who seemed unconscious, whilst she had her  
head bowed to the glowing figure before her. Natsumi looked up at  
the glowing figure, unable to make out any of the features on her  
face. "Uhhh... What? Did? You? Say?" She stuttered. Miyuki  
looked aside at her, a stern expression on her face.  
  
"Time to open your eyes, Third Guardolier. I have a task for  
you to perform." The figure said, softly. And then things were too  
bright for Natsumi to blot out....  
  
----o  
  
"Ahem.... Test test test...." Miyuki tried out the  
earphones, linked into Natsumi's sound system. Having set up the  
system for her, Miyuki probably knew more about what it could do  
than her partner ever dreamed it capable. One thing she had not  
thought possible, as Miyuki placed the earphones around the head of  
Natsumi's sleeping form, was its amplification abilities.  
Certainly, she had not turned the volume up any higher than halfway  
on the dial, for fear that any higher would blow the outside wall  
of her bedroom off the apartment building.  
  
That, of course, was with the speakers, not the earphones. As  
Miyuki lifted the microphone to her mouth, she steeled herself for  
the possible explosion that would occur when Natsumi reacted.  
Although there was no real reason why she should, considering she  
had already gone through the stun gun, the airgun with the wet  
tissue and the bucket of ice water. Natsumi just seemed more and  
more immune to being woken up with each passing day.  
  
Turning up the volume to high, she cleared her throat into the  
microphone, which made Natsumi sit up, if nothing else. Hoping this  
was a positive start, she then coughed and made strange snorting  
noises. Natsumi fell back on the bed and started to snore again.  
Gritting her teeth, she placed the microphone next to Natsumi's face  
and turned up the bass, then stormed out of Natsumi's room as it was  
getting pretty close to time for them to leave for work.  
  
  
Miyuki was already dressed by the time Natsumi staggered into  
the kitchen, scratching a head that was still attached to the  
headphones, its plug dragging along the floor about three feet  
behind her. Miyuki poured herself some coffee from the percolator  
and watched as Natsumi scanned the kitchen, not really taking  
anything in, looking rather green around the gills. "Ohayo."  
Miyuki said, pleasantly. Natsumi grunted something unintelligible  
in reply. "It's getting late. You should get ready for work, you  
know?" She continued in the same sing-song voice.  
  
"I feel sick." Natsumi groaned. "I think I'm gonna die."  
  
"That's what you get for drinking so much before you go to  
bed. Drinking so much, per se, in fact. You know what happens when  
you do. I can't imagine why you do it."  
  
"Urusai yo!" Natsumi grunted.  
  
----o  
  
"....And that's what she said about the boy...." Usagi leaned  
back in her chair at the kitchen table as she finished recounting  
her dream to Miki and her parents.  
  
"Sounds to me as if all this excitement has been playing on  
you, Usagi-chan." Kenji smiled as his wife fed him a slice of toast  
as if he were a child.  
  
"Haaaaiiiii...." Ikuko smiled as Kenji bit into the toast.  
Usagi rolled her eyes and hugged on tightly to Miki, who looked up  
at her, smiling.  
  
"You know, I had a dream like that, only different." Miki  
chirped, looking brighter for a good night's sleep. Usagi smiled at  
her, wondering how much her own dream had affected Miki. Of course,  
Usagi hadn't given away all the details of her dream, but it gave  
her a bit of a start to think that Miki might know things she didn't  
quite want her to know.... Not just yet, anyway.  
  
"How different, Miki-chan?" Ikuko smiled across the table at  
the girl, who smiled back.  
  
"Well, there was a young boy, but he grew up and had lots and  
lots of children, who all had lots of children, and so on. And then  
I saw Ikuko-mama and Kenji-papa get married. I don't know what it  
means, but you were both really happy. I hope I can find a boy and  
be as happy as that."  
  
  
END OF PART 14  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Next Chapter.... From the Mouths of Babes  
  
  
Naito Raida ikari@wantree.net.au  
  
  
Member of the AJAS Fanfic Circle 


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